QETTA, March 3 (AP) A methane explosion collapsed part of a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, killing six miners and sparking a day-long rescue operation, officials said Friday. Five miners were reportedly injured.
The blast occurred on Thursday in the Harnai district of southwestern Baluchistan province. Mine inspector Mohammad Akram said it took rescuers 24 hours to reach the trapped miners and recover the bodies of the victims.
Pakistani coal miners often complain that mine owners have failed to take safety precautions and install necessary equipment. Yet despite the dangers and low wages, thousands of people still work at the mines in Baluchistan, where unemployment is higher than in other parts of Pakistan.
For decades, Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by small separatist groups fighting for independence from the central government in Islamabad.
Separatists complain of discrimination and demand a fairer sharing of the province’s resources and wealth.
The province has also seen a spike in armed attacks in recent months. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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