ABBOTTABAD: It took two days of joint rescue efforts from the local police, residents, Rescue 1122 and the army to recover 11 bodies of mine workers who were trapped under the heavy rocks of phosphate mines near here on Wednesday.

The mine was situated in Batkanala village, near Tarnawai, some 28 kilometres from Abbottabad and almost all the victims were residents of Thereri and Gul Dana Villages.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the incident and ordered compensation for the families of the deceased workers.

Meanwhile, the provincial government had constituted a two-member inquiry committee comprising Chief Commissioner Mines Ziarat Khan and Deputy Director Mines Razaullah Khan under the Provincial Mines Act to look into the incident.

Commissioner Hazara Khalid Khan Umerzai had already ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Police had earlier told Dawn that standard safety rules were not adopted when the mine had been developed.

Speaking to Dawn, Assistant Director Mineral Department Hazara Mohammad Riaz confirmed that the mine was not officially allotted and illegal excavation of phosphate was being carried out by locals.

The dead included Abdur Razzaq, Zakir, Abbas Shah, Safeed Shah, Javed, Wahdat Shah, Naseer Shah, Mohammad Riaz, Abdul Hameed, Nadeem and Mohammad Younis.

Mines in Pakistan are notorious for poor safety standards.

At least 43 workers were killed in March 2010 when explosions triggered a collapse in a coal mine in Balochistan province.