At least 34 coal miners have died after an explosion in a mine in southern Pakistan, a local crisis management agency said on Friday, 31 July. The blast occurred on Thursday at a mine in Sorange, near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.
Rescue teams worked through the night and recovered 34 bodies, according to a statement issued on Friday morning by Balochistan’s provincial authorities responsible for crisis management. The AFP news agency reported that the explosion took place in a coal mine in Sorange, a settlement near Quetta.
– According to information received from the dispatched teams, 34 bodies have been found – the authorities said in the statement.
The rescue operation was still in progress, with teams working to reach miners trapped underground. Officials did not disclose how many miners were inside the mine when the explosion happened.
Rescue effort continues near Quetta
The emergency response in Sorange began after Thursday’s blast and continued through the night. By Friday morning, the provincial crisis management office had confirmed that 34 bodies had been recovered, but stressed that the operation was not complete.
The mine is located in Sorange, near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. The statement from local authorities did not say how many miners were in the mine at the time of the explosion, and no exact number of people still underground has been given.
Search teams still underground
Rescuers remain focused on finding miners who are still trapped. The authorities said the aim of the ongoing action is to locate and release those miners, but they have not said how many people could still be inside the mine.
At least 34 deaths have now been confirmed. Because the search is still under way, that figure could still change. The provincial statement said only that the rescue effort was continuing.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Andrzej Wawok / PTWP
