Quetta coal mine explosion: Search and rescue operation concludes as last two bodies recovered

QUETTA: The bodies of the remaining two miners trapped following a methane gas explosion in a mine near Quetta were found on Saturday. The explosion occurred on Thursday at a private coal mine in the Sorange coalfield, about 30 kilometres northeast of Quetta. The methane gas explosion triggered a fire, caused the mine to collapse, and affected another nearby mine. Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mines Muhammad Atif confirmed to Dawn that “all 34 bodies of coal miners trapped” in the mines have been recovered. He added that the last two bodies were recovered after hectic search efforts. The bodies of 32 miners were recovered on Friday. Atif said both mines were sealed after the rescue operation was completed and a probe into the tragic incident has been ordered. “A team of mining experts has been formed, which has initiated a probe into the incident,” the official said. All of the miners hailed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district, Atif said, adding that their bodies have been dispatched to their native villages. “Twenty-three miners who lost their lives belonged to Pirabad alone,” he added.

Abid Yaar, president of the Shangla Coal Mine Workers Association, said on Friday that Mian Kaly Mian Killay in Pir Abad — from where at least 23 of the miners hailed — had become an epicentre of repeated coal mine tragedies. He added that the victims, aged between 17 and 25, belonged to the same families and were cousins or close relatives. According to Yaar, several of the deceased were orphans whose fathers had also lost their lives in previous coal mine accidents. Out of the 34 miners, 24 were working about 4,000 feet underground in the first mine where the methane gas explosion occurred, while the rest were working in another nearby mine. Deadly mine explosions are common in Balochistan, with stakeholders often pointing out the absence of essential safety protocols. Coal mining has historically been fraught with hazards, which are similar to those associated with the aftermath of natural disasters: suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse, rock burst, gas explosions and a plethora of lung diseases, including incurable diseases like coalworker’s pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease.