According to reports, at least 11 coal miners are trapped in a coal mine located in district Degari, Quetta, Baluchistan. The incident happened on Sunday when the entrance of the mince collapsed due to the accumulation of methane gas.
After consecutive efforts of 15 hours, one survivor was rescued while the rescue operation is still underway to save the others. Immediate notice of the incident was taken by the Chief Minister of Baluchistan Jam Kamal Alyani and Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Baluchistan, Shafqat Fayyaz. Provincial Disaster Management Authority has been deployed on the site to ensure the safe extraction of the miners. The mine is said to be thousands of feet deep.
Coal mining is considered to be a very unsafe job due to the hazards involved in the process. Such incidents happen every now and then due to explosions of deadly gases and a number of precious lives are lost. Pakistan Central Mines Labor Federation (PCMLF) claims that these accidents involve casualties of up to 200 laborers every year. Majority of the casualties are due to the lack of oxygen and intake of deadly gases (mostly methane) while being trapped after the entry and exit points of the mine are collapsed.
Despite frequent incidents, due measures have not been taken and the Balochistan’s Labour Federation is unsatisfied on the prevailing working conditions. A member of the federation Peer Muhammad Kakar stated that “Neither the government nor the mine owners are bothered about the plight of the hapless miners. The administration is still clueless about the trapped miners even though 24 hours have passed.”
Earlier in January this year, a similar incident occurred in Dukki district where 6 miners lost their lives and over 19 of them were rescued in an unconscious condition.