At least 32 miners have died following a devastating explosion at a coal mine in Balochistan province, southwestern Pakistan, leaving rescue teams with little hope of finding survivors.
The blast occurred on Thursday at a coal mine in the remote Sorange area near Quetta, the provincial capital. Officials said the initial cause was determined to be accumulated methane gas.
An official from the Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that by early Friday morning, rescue teams had recovered 29 bodies and located three more inside the mine, with efforts underway to bring them to the surface. He added that more than 12 hours after the incident, rescue operations were continuing to search for any remaining trapped miners, though the chances of finding survivors were very low.
Muhammad Atif, the province's chief mines inspector, earlier said 36 miners were working inside the mine at the time of the explosion.
Abdul Ghani Baloch, a senior regional mining official, said the blast damaged two nearby coal mines.
Accidents are a common occurrence in Pakistan's coal mining industry, particularly in Balochistan, where many mines lack ventilation systems, gas monitoring equipment, and other basic safety measures.
Miners and labor organizations have long accused mine owners of failing to enforce safety regulations and of not equipping workers with adequate protective gear.
Despite the risks and low wages, thousands of miners depend on the coal industry for their livelihood in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least developed province, which consistently suffers high unemployment and poverty rates.
