A coal miner lost his life after suffocating due to toxic gas inside a local coal mine in Duki, Balochistan, highlighting once again the persistent safety risks faced by mine workers in the region.
According to local sources, the incident occurred at a coal mine located approximately eight kilometers west of Duki, where poisonous gas accumulated during mining operations. As a result, a miner identified as Abdul Rasheed s/o Abdul Ghafoor, belonging to the Achakzai community and a resident of Afghanistan, died on the spot.
Fellow miners carried out rescue efforts on their own and retrieved the body from the mine. The deceased was later shifted to a hospital, where legal formalities were completed before the body was handed over to his relatives and transported to Afghanistan.
Mining-related fatalities are not uncommon in Balochistan. According to the annual report of the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation, at least 89 coal miners were killed across Balochistan in various mining accidents during 2025 alone. The report noted that the rate of coal mine accidents in Balochistan remains significantly higher than in other regions.
Coal mine accidents in Balochistan have increasingly become routine, with the lack of adequate safety measures cited as a major contributing factor. Despite repeated demands by mine workers’ unions for improved safety standards and enforcement, no effective steps have yet been taken to address these longstanding concerns.