Follow Us on Google News
DUKKI: At least four coal miners died on Tuesday as a result of exposure to a poisonous gas inside a coal mine in Balochistan’s Dukki district, the province’s Mines and Minerals Chief Inspector Abdul Ghani said.
The incident occurred in the coal-rich Chamalang area of Dukki district. Abdul Ghani said the workers died of suffocation after inhaling the poisonous gas, adding that their bodies were retrieved from the mine in a rescue operation.
The bodies were transferred to a nearby hospital and will be handed over to the relatives of the deceased after completing formalities. All four miners hailed from Balochistan’s Zhob district.
According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation, casualties from accidents among labourers working in coal mines range from 100 to 200 every year.
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.
Earlier this year, eight coal miners suffered serious burn injuries in an explosion inside a mine in Duki. In March, 13 miners were killed in two separate incidents within the span of a week.
Seven miners were killed in a blast at a coal mine in Harnai which was caused by a build-up of methane gas. Earlier that week, six workers were found dead after they were trapped inside a coal mine in Bolan district.