At least six dead after coal mine blast in Pakistan

The miners were working in a coal mine in the Shahrag area of the Harnai district, Baluchistan, when a gas explosion took place and a portion of the mine collapsed, leaving all the workers trapped on Saturday, according to local sources.

Search and rescue crews managed to recover all bodies of the coal miners, officials said.

Mining in Pakistan is a dangerous job, especially coal mining, as safety procedures are often neglected and accidents are quite common. There is air pollution with no modern safety equipment such as breathing equipment or ventilation.

Nearly all miners have lung problems and many suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. But the main causes of death and injury are fallings from cliffs, being buried when mines collapse, and being hit by falling rocks.

On 21 March 2011, at least 45 miners died due to an explosion in a coal mine in Surran range, some 35 km (22 mi) east of the provincial capital, Quetta. (ILKHA)