At least 11 miners have been killed and 25 others remain missing following a methane gas explosion at a coal mining complex in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
The incident occurred on Thursday, July 30, in the Soranj area on the outskirts of Quetta, the provincial capital, triggering the collapse of part of the mining complex.
Shuaib Nosherwani, Balochistan’s Minister for Mines and Mineral Development, said that 36 miners were working in the collapsed section of the mine when the explosion occurred. According to him, the bodies of 11 miners had been recovered from the rubble by Thursday evening, while search operations for the remaining 25 miners were still underway.
Mohammad Atif, the Chief Inspector of Mines in Balochistan, said rescue teams are conducting operations at a depth of approximately 1,219 meters underground. He added that although efforts are continuing, the chances of finding the missing miners alive are slim. Nevertheless, rescue operations will continue until the fate of all those missing has been determined.
Abdul Ghani Baloch, a senior official in the region’s mining department, said the force of the methane explosion also damaged two neighboring mines. He noted that the scale of the incident has made rescue and search efforts significantly more challenging.
Local authorities have not yet released further details about the exact cause of the explosion. Meanwhile, search and rescue operations involving emergency response teams remain ongoing, and officials have said that a full investigation into the cause of the incident will begin after the rescue mission has concluded.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
