QUETTA  -  5 coalminers died after inhaling poisonous gas in a coal mine in Shahrag coal field in Harnai district, Pakistan Coalmines Labour Federation (PCMLF) Secretary General Sultan Khan said on Sunday.  A statement issued here said that six coal miners went deep into a private coal mine early in the morning and started digging coal. During the digging, poisonous methane gas accumulated inside.

They fell unconscious due to the accumulation of methane gas, levies officials said. When those outside the coal mine realized that there was no response from those inside the mine, they informed the contractor of the coal mine and officials of the chief inspectorate about the incident. Subsequently, rescue teams rushed to the site and launched an operation to rescue the miners. However, when the rescuers reached deep inside the mine, they found five miners dead. They managed to recover one coal miner, who was unconscious. The bodies were recovered and shifted to the district hospital where doctors declared them dead.

The Balochistan mines chief inspector has sealed the affected mine and ordered a probe into the fatal incident.The coal miner recovered unconscious was hospitalised and later identified as Khan Mohammad. The deceased belonging to Afghanistan were identified as Rahman Shah, Shafiullah, Zubair Allah and Matiullah. One of the miners could not be identified. The bodies would be sent to their native area in Afghanistan. Sultan Khan Said;

PCMLF in its statement deplored that Balochistan’s Coal workers are forced to work under tough condition with government’s indifference. The miners toil in the mines all day, but are paid a little amount at the end of the day — which is insufficient to meet their needs.

“By law, the coal worker is given hot water after finishing work. They must take a bath but the owners often do not provide it,” a mines inspector of Duki district in Balochistan said. “They do not even provide clean drinking water to the poor laborers.” Duki district has the highest number of coal mines, but unfortunately the highest number of deaths too. “This year the number of people killed in coal mines has risen to 140 while in 2023, 283 miners were killed in mine and mineral accidents,” the PCMLF official said adding that we demand ILO-C176 ratification and safety & heal for all.