At least eight coalmine workers were killed and two others wounded when an explosion took place in a private company’s coal mine in Dukki tehsil of Loralai district, some 180 kilometers away from the provincial capital, on Monday.
Official sources said that 10 coal mine workers were working 1200 feet below the surface of earth when the blast took place in the coal mine. According to the preliminary inquiry, accumulation of methane gas – an inflammable gas- was the cause of the explosion as it got ignited by some spark in the mine. The cause of spark could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
Reports suggested that the blast in the coal mine occurred at 3:30 am, while the rescue operation was launched at 7:30 am after several hours of the tragic incident. Because of this delay, the ill-fated miners lost their lives. But, to the dismay of all of them, the ambulances and doctor could not reach the spot even after several hours of the incident.
The names of ill-fated mine workers included: Hazrat Ali, Samiullah, Khan Zamir, Bakhat Munir, Shakir, Bakhat Jamal, Hukmaran, and Sohrab Khan. All the deceased belonged to Sawat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Moving scenes were witnessed when the bodies of the deceased were being recovered from the coal mine.
Later, the bodies and the injured were shifted to local hospital. Later, the bodies were dispatched to their native villages in KP.
Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Mines Iftikhar Ahmed expressed his deep grief over the deaths of coal mine workers and directed to conduct inquiry of the incident. He ordered to seal the coal mine.
The labour union of mines held the coal companies responsible for such tragic incidents. They alleged that safety measures could not be properly taken at most coal mines in Balochistan. They demanded of the government to take strict action against those mine owners who had not provided the necessary safety equipment at their mines and were not following the safety rules and regulations. Ahmed Jan, a coal mine worker, told The News there was no concept of safety equipment in the mine which caused the killings of eight people.
It may be noted here that in case of such disaster Rs500,000 is to be paid by mine welfare board to each bereaved family as compensation. Earlier, the compensation amount was Rs300,000 but the previous government raised the amount to Rs500,000.
Tuesday 29 January 2013
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-20578-Coal-mine-gas-explosion-kills-eight-miners
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