ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (NNN-APP) – Seven labourers were killed and four others injured, in a coal mine explosion, in the Orakzai district of Pakistan’s north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, yesterday, police said.
The incident happened due to the accumulation of toxic gas in the mine, when about 13 labourers were working inside, the Divisional Police Officer of Orakazi, Nazeer Khan, said.
He said, three people were still stranded inside the mine and rescue work was underway to recover them.
The injured labourers were shifted to a nearby hospital, and they are in critical condition, local media reports said.
Pakistan has more than 184 billion tonnes of coal, and it produces four million tonnes of coal annually. However, the mines often see frequent accidents for their unsafe working conditions and primitive extraction methods.
According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation, about 100 to 200 labourers were killed and injured, in coal mine accidents across the country, every year.– NNN-APP
