Pakistan: Two Lives Lost in Recent Balochistan Incident; 11 Bodies Recovered from Sanjdi Mine
Click to start listening
Quetta, Jan 13 (NationPress) Rescue operations are still underway in Pakistan's tumultuous Balochistan province, following a recent coal mine disaster in the Khost region of Harnai district that resulted in two fatalities after the previous week's tragedy that claimed the lives of 12 miners.
On Sunday, six workers who had been trapped within the mine were successfully rescued, according to local officials on Monday.
This latest incident unfolded as efforts persisted to recover the body of the last miner from the Sanjdi mine, located on the outskirts of Quetta. A total of 12 miners were trapped approximately 4,000 feet underground after a significant methane gas explosion on January 9. Most of the deceased were from Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with one miner originating from Swat.
The recent calamity was triggered by cracks forming in a coal mine situated in the Khost coal field, leading to part of the mine collapsing while eight workers remained inside. Tragically, two miners, later identified as Zahid and Islahat, were trapped deeply within the mine and could not be rescued. Their remains were recovered after 12 hours of relentless efforts, as reported by Pakistan's leading daily, Dawn.
In response, the Mines and Minerals Department of Pakistan has shut down the Khost mine and initiated an investigation into the disaster. Leaders from the Labour Federation have denounced the fatalities, urging for the ratification of safety protocols and the International Labour Organisation Convention 176. They stressed the importance of enhanced awareness programs to bolster miners' safety.
The Federation criticized the government's negligence in implementing safety regulations, noting the absence of officials at the site and highlighting that these recurring tragedies underscore the immediate necessity for reforms to safeguard the lives of vulnerable coal miners.
Meanwhile, search operations continued in the Sanjdi coalfield to retrieve the last trapped miner's body. According to Ghani Baloch, Chief Inspector of Mines, excavation has reached a depth of 4,100 feet, with the 11 retrieved bodies being handed over to their families following the completion of medico-legal procedures.
Ibadullah Khan, the Opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, visited the Sanjdi coalfield on Sunday, where he received updates on the ongoing rescue efforts from officials of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Mines Department.
