QUETTA: A methane gas explosion in a coal mine in Balochistan early Saturday killed four workers, while three others were rescued from the partly collapsed mine, an official said.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) shifted three injured miners to a nearby trauma centre.
“An inquiry to find the cause of the explosion inside the coal mine has been underway,” the authority’s Director General Imran Khan Zarkoon said.
Chief mine inspector Abdul Ghani said the blast took place in the Sra Ghazgai mine area outside Quetta, where the mine was allegedly being operated illegally.
No owner or contractor linked to the mine could be located after the explosion because the rescued workers were in no condition to provide details, he said.
Ghani said the mine was being thoroughly examined to ensure no others were trapped deep in the collapsed mine.
Compromised safety conditions and a lack of proper training for mine workers have resulted in similar incidents in provincial mines.
