A tragic incident has occurred at a coal mine in Quetta, the administrative center of Pakistan's Balochistan province, where a methane gas explosion resulted in significant casualties.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, mine official Ghani Baloch reported that the accumulation of methane gas triggered a powerful explosion, which subsequently caused the mine to collapse.
Search and rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 32 miners from the rubble. Officials have confirmed that rescue operations are ongoing, with at least 10 individuals still trapped under the debris.
Ghani Baloch noted that rescuers are operating under extremely difficult conditions. Concerns regarding the fate of those still trapped remain high, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the death toll may rise as the search continues.
Coal mining in Pakistan, particularly in the Balochistan region, is frequently marred by safety concerns. The industry is often characterized by outdated infrastructure and a lack of stringent safety protocols, leading to frequent accidents. Such incidents highlight the ongoing challenges regarding industrial safety standards in the region's extractive sectors.
