2 miners killed in trolley accident in Balochistan coal mine

Published January 27, 2019
Two coal miners died when a trolley hit them inside a coal mine in Balochistan's coal-rich Dukki district on Sunday morning. — Reuters/File
Two coal miners died when a trolley hit them inside a coal mine in Balochistan's coal-rich Dukki district on Sunday morning. — Reuters/File

Two miners died after being hit by a trolley inside a coal mine in Balochistan's coal-rich Dukki district on Sunday morning.

According to Levies sources, the miners were extracting coal from deep within the mine when the trolley hit them. The bodies of the two miners, who died on the spot, have been shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Dukki.

The sources said the deceased miners who were from Afghanistan had been working in the Dukki coal mines for the last few years.

"[There is] no safety for coal miners," said the central leader of Pakistan Mines Labour Association, Bakht Nawab, adding that miners extract coal at the cost of their lives.

Coal miners also claim that they pay taxes to the Balochistan government for their safety. "We pay Rs120 as a miner safety tax to the government", Fateh Shah Arif, a coal mine owner told DawnNewsTV.

He said it was the responsibility of government along with coal mine owners to improve working conditions for miners.

Hazardous working conditions inside coal mines of Balochistan are often cited as the reason behind the loss of precious human lives.

According to statistics provided by the provincial Mines and Minerals Development Department, over 1,000 coal miners have died in such kind of incidents during the last 18 years in Balochistan.

This month alone, 13 coal miners have died in Dukki. Sunday's incident comes days after a methane gas blast inside a coal mine in the district claimed the lives of six miners.

Daily production of coal in various parts of Balochistan comes to about 20,000 tonnes.

Opinion

Editorial

Running on empty
Updated 22 Mar, 2025

Running on empty

World Water Day should remind country’s rulers that water crisis threatens the very survival of our future generations.
Another ultimatum
22 Mar, 2025

Another ultimatum

THESE are fraught times, but the government must still find it in its heart to be a little more accommodating....
Muzzled voices
22 Mar, 2025

Muzzled voices

A NEW era of censorship is upon us. The FIA’s arrest of journalist and founder of media agency Raftar, Farhan...
Personal priorities
Updated 21 Mar, 2025

Personal priorities

Pet projects launched by govt often found to be poorly conceived, ripe for exploitation, misaligned with country’s overall development priorities.
Inheritance rights
21 Mar, 2025

Inheritance rights

THE Federal Shariat Court’s ruling that it is un-Islamic to deprive a woman of her right to inheritance is a...
Anti-Muslim actions
21 Mar, 2025

Anti-Muslim actions

MUSLIMS in India have endured incessant scrutiny of their nationalism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ...