Gas blast claims lives of four miners in Balochistan coalmine

QUETTA: At least four coal miners died while one injured in gas explosion in a coalmine in Balochistan’s Chamalang area on Wednesday morning, local officials said.

According to the officials, the incident took place in the Chamalang area.

The Levies officials said that the dead bodies and the injured have been transferred to a hospital in Quetta.

People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto while expressing his sympathy with the families of deceased miners, has said that the administrative mismanagement resulting in deaths of the miners in rampant deadly mining incidents.

While lamenting the lack of interest from the government, the PPP leader urged for providing compensation to the families of deceased and injured miners.

The coal miners association in Balochistan complains lack of safety arrangements for life security of miners.

The regulations framed under the Mines Act, 1923, stipulate a fairly extensive safety and labour welfare regime that must be enacted and observed at all mines.

Under this Act, the key position empowered to carry out and verify the implementation of the Act is that of the chief inspector and the inspectors appointed, pursuant to the 18th Amendment, by the provincial governments.

Sultan Muhammad Khan, a central leader of Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation (PMCLF) recently said that the rules are mere in papers rather than in practice.

The PMCLF said that casualties from accidents among workers of coal mines range from 100 to 200 every year.