Nine killed in coal mine collapse

Four injured in the second fatal mining accident in the country in a month

Nine miners were killed and four injured when the roof of a coal mine collapsed yesterday in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Darra Adam Khel.

The incident, the second fatal coal mining accident in Pakistan in a month, happened in Akhurwal village as workers entered the coal mine at the start of the day, senior local administration official Shahid Ilyas told AFP.

He said the nine bodies and all the injured workers were later pulled out of the mine, with two seriously wounded.

A senior local police official, Muhammad Ejaz, confirmed the incident and said they were investigating.

Pakistan’s coal mines are notorious for poor safety standards. At least 18 miners were killed after a blast tore through a coal mine in Sinjidi village near the southwestern city of Quetta on August 13.

In a similar incident, at least 43 miners were killed in Sorange district of Balochistan in 2011.

At least 18 miners were killed after a blast tore through a coal mine in Sinjidi village near the southwestern city of Quetta on August 13.