Four miners killed in Harnai coal mine gas explosion

Four miners killed in Harnai coal mine gas explosion

Four coal miners were killed after methane gas accumulated inside a coal mine in Shahrag area of Harnai district, Balochistan, triggering an explosion.

According to police, the incident occurred at PMDC Coal Mine No. 151, where the buildup of methane gas caused a blast underground. Rescue teams and mine officials launched an operation after the accident and retrieved the bodies of all four miners from the affected section of the mine.

Chief Mines Inspector Atif Ali said that rescuers also brought two injured miners out of the mine. The injured workers received medical assistance following the incident, while the bodies of the deceased were handed over for further procedures.

Atif Ali said the initial investigation indicated that methane gas had accumulated inside the coal mine before the explosion. Such gas buildup poses a serious risk to miners working underground, particularly in poorly ventilated sections.

The authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances that led to the gas accumulation and determine whether safety protocols and ventilation measures were properly followed at the mine.

The four miners who lost their lives in the accident belonged to the Dir area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The incident has once again highlighted the risks faced by coal miners working in Balochistan, where mining accidents involving gas leaks, explosions and underground collapses have claimed workers’ lives in the past.

Officials said further details about the identities of the deceased and the condition of the injured would be released as the investigation and rescue operation progress.