12 killed, 8 injured in coal mine explosion

Islamabad. Twelve workers were killed and eight others injured in an explosion at a coal mine in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Officials gave this information on Wednesday.

Balochistan Mines Inspector Abdul Ghani Baloch told Xinhua News Agency that the explosion occurred on Tuesday night due to accumulation of poisonous gas inside the cave in Harnai district.

He said 12 workers were working inside the mine when the explosion occurred and eight more workers entered the mine in an attempt to rescue their trapped colleagues.

“Unfortunately, they were also trapped by further collapse of the coal mine,” he said. He said the rescue team has completed the operation and pulled out 12 bodies and eight injured people from the mine.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital. In a statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident.

–IANS