Quetta, Dec 1 Two miners were killed after a landslide hit a coal mine in Sorranj area on the outskirts of Quetta in Pakistan, local media reported on Monday.
Balochistan's Chief Mines Inspector Rafiullah said workers were in a mine when a mass of earth collapsed, burying them under the rubble, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported.
The deceased miners were identified as Shaista Khan and Abdul Malik. Fellow miners found the bodies of the deceased from the site and took them to hospital.
The Chief Mines Inspector has ordered sealing of the coal mine and launched an inquiry into the incident.
Mines in Balochistan, operated by private firms under lease agreements, are known for dangerous working conditions and inadequate safety standards with deadly incidents not uncommon.
Earlier in October, four coal miners were killed in two separate incidents in Duki and Chamalang areas of Pakistan's Balochistan due to the presence of methane gas. According to the police, the victims, identified as residents of Afghanistan, were working in coal mines in Duki and Chamalang when the accidents happened, Dawn reported.
Chief Inspector of Mines Balochistan, Syed Rafiullah, said the manager of the Chamalang mine, where two miners were killed, was already facing a court case for not implementing proper safety measures.
He further said that another coal mine in Duki was previously shut by the Mines Inspectorate after an earlier accident, in which several people lost their lives due to similar negligence.
Earlier in September, an Afghan coal miner died after he inhaled poisonous gas while working in a private coal mine in the Shahrag area of Harnai district of Balochistan, according to officials.
As per the officials, poisonous methane gas accumulated in the mine. Other miner workers moved out of the mine; however, one worker, identified as Abdullah, fell unconscious while working deep inside the mine. Fellow mine workers tried to rescue their trapped colleague but were unable to bring him out due to the large quantity of methane gas.
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