Coal mine blast in Pak's Quetta leaves 5 dead, 5 others injured

Quetta: A massive explosion in a coal mine at Saragarhi area in the outskirts of Quetta in Pakistan's Balochistan province, left five miners dead and five others injured, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Though Balochistan is rich in minerals its mines have a poor safety record, reported ARY News.

The cause of the explosion is not yet known and according to sources at the Inspectorate of Mines, the accumulation of methane gas can likely lead to an explosion.

Director General at Balochistan's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said, "An inquiry to find the cause of the explosion inside the coal mine has been underway,"
In another incident that took place in Marwarah in March last year, six labourers died and two others were rescued where the coal mine caved in, trapping eight other labourers.

Furthermore, sixteen miners were killed and nine others were injured in May 2018 when a coal mine collapsed due to a gas explosion near Quetta, officials said.

Earlier in 2011, a total of 43 workers were killed when gas blasts collapsed a coal mine in Balochistan, reported ARY News.