The death toll from a coal mine collapse in Balochistan has risen to 34, according to the latest reports from the site (Geo News).
The mine owner, Qurban Jogezai, said the collapse was triggered by a methane gas explosion, and that 42 labourers were working inside at the time. He confirmed that all those trapped were residents of Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has sought a detailed report on the incident and warned that strict action would be taken if negligence or misconduct were found. He also directed authorities to ensure strict implementation of safety regulations at coal mines across the province.
JUI-N spokesperson Abdul Sattar Chishti expressed sorrow at the loss of life, saying thousands of miners had died in similar accidents over the years, and urged the government to take immediate and effective measures to improve mine safety.
The pattern he describes is the substance of the story. Balochistan’s coal seams are worked largely by labourers from outside the province — in this case, every man trapped came from a single district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — under contracting arrangements that have repeatedly been criticised for weak enforcement of ventilation and gas-monitoring rules. Methane accumulation is the mechanism in a large share of these deaths, and it is the hazard that regulation is meant to address.
Earlier reports on Friday put the recovered dead at seven; the toll rose through the day as bodies were brought out.
The figures here come from the mine owner and provincial authorities as reported, and no independent assessment of the cause has yet been published.
