Excavation despite ban: Two miners killed, one injured in gas explosion

KALAYA:

Two labourers were killed and another was injured in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Lower Orakzai Agency on Saturday.

The explosion took place at around 3pm in a mine owned by Haji Rashid in Dolai, an official of the local political administration told The Express Tribune. The official said that 10 labourers were working in the mine at the time of the explosion, which occurred due to a large quantity of methane in the excavated area. Three of the mine workers fell unconscious after inhaling the colourless, odourless gas and two of them died in the explosion, the official added.

The deceased were identified as Aziz and Amir Zeb, both residents of Shangla, while Ziaudin was rescued. Rescue workers retrieved the bodies and shifted them to their hometown, while the injured labourer was shifted to a local hospital.

The mine had been declared unsafe due to the presence of methane gas but was reopened by the owner who compelled labourers to work despite the ban, said another official of the local political administration.

The administration has ordered a probe into the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2012.