Eight dead in Duki mine explosion

14 miners injured after mounting rescue efforts on their own

QUETTA: At least eight miners died following an explosion inside a mine in the Duki Coalfield of Loralai district on Thursday.

As many as 14 other miners were wounded after they were forced to begin rescue efforts on their own as it took authorities more than 15 hours to mount a proper rescue operation, officials said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, local Levies official Habibur Rehman said at least seven miners were working deep inside the Tarkan coal mine in Duki when the explosion occurred at 5pm on Thursday. “The explosion caused a landslide which blocked all exit points of the mine and trapped the miners inside,” he said.

With the Duki rescue centre out of order, a rescue team had to be called in from Quetta to save the trapped miners. But the team could not reach Duki until Friday morning and a proper rescue operation could not begin until more than 15 hours after the explosion.

In the immediate absence of proper rescue facilities, 15 coalminers, who had rushed to the site from nearby mines as soon as they heard the blast, began rescue efforts themselves. Their lack of preparation, however, resulted in the death of one miner due to suffocation and left 14 others injured, according to Rehman.

“The coalmine was filled with methane,” he said.

“The operation to retrieve the bodies of the trapped miners is still under way,” Rehman added. But officials of the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Department said it was highly unlikely that the trapped miners were alive as they were buried more than 500 feet deep.

According to data compiled by the department, there are around 350 registered coalmines in the Duki Coalfield. However, dozens of illegal coalmines are also operated in the area.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior department official said mine inspectors never carry out proper checks for safety when they visit coalmines. “They do visit coalmines weekly, but often use the trip to extort money from mine owners,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2015.