Seven dead bodies were pulled out of the debris of a coal mine on Tuesday that collapsed after an explosion in Harnai, Balochistan. The second such incident to occur within the span of four days.
According to the details, the incident occurred in the Torghar area of district Harnai on Monday night when the buildup of highly explosive methane gas caused a blast, trapping the coal miners working there under tons of rubble.
Deputy Commissioner of Harnai Sohail Hashmi confirmed the incident, saying that the blast occurred at a depth of 1200-1400 feet inside the mine. He said that due to the lack of proper communication channels and the unavailability of cellular networks, the authorities were informed late and the rescue teams arrived several hours after the incident.
Shafqat Fayaz, Chief Inspector of Mines in Balochistan, said that the blast had trapped five coal miners inside. Two others had been sent for their rescue but they were trapped in the debris and died of asphyxiation. He said that the rescue teams had managed to pull out the dead bodies of all seven of the coal miners. The bodies have been moved to a nearby hospital and further probe has been ordered into the incident.
The chief inspectors further added that the portion of the coal mine had collapsed two days earlier and a gas leakage had set up of blazing fire inside the mine.
A similar incident occurred a few days ago on March 12 when eight coal miners were trapped at a depth of 1000 feet inside a coal mine in Marwar. A methane gas leakage had triggered an explosion inside the mine that had brought the entire structure tumbling down. The dead bodies of six of the eight miners were pulled out after a four-hour long rescue operation. The remaining two were never found.
Such dead incidents are not a novelty in the coalfields of Balochistan where the miners lack the necessary equipment, facilities and training required to operate in the extremely dangerous environment of coal mines. Balochistan’s soil is saturated with reserves of natural gas, and a single misplaced pickaxe blow can easily trigger an explosion and kill tens of individuals on the spot.
Over the past year, more than a hundred coal miners have lost their lives in 72 such incidents.