A methane gas explosion tore through a coal mine in the Spin Karez area of Quetta, Balochistan, on Thursday, killing 34 miners and triggering a partial collapse that trapped dozens underground. The tragedy has reignited urgent questions about the chronic safety failures and absent worker protections that define Pakistan's coal mining sector, according to a report in The Express Tribune.

What Happened Underground

The miners were reportedly working several thousand feet below the surface, carrying out routine operations, when a powerful methane gas blast ripped through the shaft. The explosion caused a partial structural collapse, leaving dozens buried beneath debris. Rescue operations were launched to recover the trapped workers.

All 34 victims had travelled hundreds of kilometres from Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to find work in Balochistan's coal fields. Of those killed, 22 belonged to Mian Kallay Pirabad in Shangla, with the remaining victims hailing from neighbouring villages. Most of the deceased were related to one another or members of the same extended families, meaning several households lost more than one breadwinner. Multiple children have been left orphaned and women widowed.

Shangla's Deadly Dependence on Coal

The scale of grief in Shangla reflects a structural economic crisis that has persisted for decades. According to local estimates, nearly 65 per cent of Shangla's population depends directly or indirectly on coal mining for its livelihood. Coal work has evolved from an occupation into a profession passed down through generations, driven by the district's limited industrial base, poor agricultural productivity, and scarce formal employment.

'For decades, Shangla has remained one of Pakistan's economically disadvantaged districts. Limited industrial development, scarce employment opportunities, poor agricultural productivity and widespread unemployment have forced thousands of young men to seek work in coal mines across Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab,' wrote journalist Aftab Hussain in The Express Tribune.

The Express Tribune further noted that similar coal mine accidents across Balochistan have claimed hundreds of Shangla workers' lives over the past several decades, while thousands more have been permanently disabled. 'On several occasions, the bodies of five or six workers have arrived in Shangla within a single week,' Hussain wrote.

No Legal Protection, No Compensation

Social activists and local residents say miners from Shangla routinely work without basic legal safeguards. Most are not formally registered with government authorities and have no access to social security, the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), health insurance, or life insurance.

'Many work through contractors and leaseholders, leaving bereaved families with little or no compensation when fatal accidents occur,' the report stated. The absence of formal employment contracts means that when a miner dies, his family is left with no legal recourse and no financial safety net.

A Pattern Pakistan Has Not Broken

This is not an isolated incident. Balochistan's coal mining sector has a long and documented history of fatal accidents, methane explosions, and inadequate safety infrastructure. Critics argue that successive governments — both federal and provincial — have failed to enforce existing mining regulations or extend basic labour protections to the hundreds of thousands who work in the sector informally.

The Spin Karez disaster underscores what analysts describe as a two-layered failure: the physical hazard of unregulated mines and the social hazard of a workforce with no institutional protection. As Balochistan's coal continues to power Pakistan's industry, the human cost is being borne almost entirely by migrant workers from the country's most economically marginalised districts.