Methane gas kills 4 coal miners in Dukki Balochistan
Hussain Zarkoon :
Methane gas has killed 4 coal miners in Balochistan’s Dukki district. Four coal miners were rescued from the affected mine, Abdul Ghani, the Chief Inspector Mines said. The incident happened in the Chamalang area of the district. Mr. Ghani said the coal miners were working deep inside the mine when it suddenly filled with poisonous gas.
Four miners died inside the mine and four unconscious because of the methane gas. Levies sources said two real brothers identified as Asmatullah and Niamatullah were also among the dead.
Levies and a large number of coal miners reached the affected mine and retrieved the dead bodies. Dead bodies shifted to district headquarters hospital Dukki, they said. The miners belonged to the Zhob district of Balochistan.
Incidents inside coal mines occur almost on a daily basis
Dukki district of Balochistan has rich coal reservoirs. On a daily basis, hundreds of trucks loaded with coal move from the district to various parts of Punjab province.
Such incidents inside coal mines of Dukki and other parts of Balochistan are almost the order of the day. The Balochistan government has made repeated claims about the safety of the coal miners. However, little has been done to protect the lives of the hapless coal miners.
Hazardous working conditions continue to claim precious human lives
Hazardous working conditions inside coal mines of Balochistan have claimed thousands of precious human lives. Rights groups have lashed out at the Balochistan government for its negligence and what it claims criminal silence over such issues. “This is indeed a human tragedy”, Tahir Habib Advocate, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Balochistan Chapter Chief said.
Human rights groups and civil society have demanded of the provincial government to make sure the implementation of the Balochistan mines act.
