Seven coal miners killed in Pak

At least seven coal miners were killed and three others injured after a gas explosion in a mine of a private company in Degari area of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, officials said on Saturday.

The powerful explosion took place on Friday when around 12 miners were working inside the Degari coalfield, some 60 km from Quetta, Chief Inspector of Mines for Balochistan Shafqat Fayyaz.

Around 12 miners were working inside the mine when the explosion took place due to a gas leak. We have recovered seven dead bodies while three others have been shifted to a hospital with injuries, he said.

The explosion took place due to presence of methane gas inside the mine, he said.

The leaders of Mineworkers Federation said that after the blast a fire broke out in the mine. As a result, the miners burnt to death inside the mine.

What is worrisome is that these miners were asked to work inside the mine even though it was a holiday. They were at least 300 feet deep inside when the explosion took place and fire broke out, Iqbal Yousufzai said.

He said the mine belonged to Surabji Coal Company. In July last year, a coal mine collapsed in the same area, killing nine workers.

Last year, 164 coal miners were killed in Baluchistan province in different incidents, according to Sultan Muhammad Khan who is the President of All Pakistan Labour Federation.