Four coal miners have been killed and four others injured in a methane gas explosion at a mine in Shahrag, Harnai district, Balochistan.
The incident took place at PMDC Coal Mine 151, where the accumulation of methane, a flammable gas found in underground coal workings, triggered an explosion and fire, according to rescue officials.
Eight workers were trapped inside the mine following the blast, Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mines Muhammad Atif Khan told media.
Rescue teams and the local administration were subsequently mobilised to retrieve the trapped miners, he said.
The operation resulted in the recovery of four bodies and the rescue of four injured workers, who were taken to hospital, Khan added.
Pakistan Army also participated in the rescue effort, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
Its account, however, stated that five miners had been brought out alive, differing from the four survivors reported by the chief inspector.
The deceased workers’ bodies were transported to their native area in Swat after the completion of the required formalities.
The injured received initial treatment before being referred to Quetta for further medical care.
The explosion is the latest in a series of fatal incidents in Balochistan’s coal-mining sector.
Three workers died in a separate gas explosion at a coal mine in the Degari area of Mastung district last month.
In late July, a methane gas blast at a coal mine near Quetta claimed the lives of at least 32 miners, most of them from Shangla.
The victims’ heirs subsequently declined compensation cheques of Rs400,000.
The National Labour Federation (NLF) Balochistan later called for reforms to strengthen mine safety.
