International30 July 2026

Blast at Pakistan coal mine complex kills eight, dozens missing, official says

At least eight coal miners were killed and dozens ​still missing after an explosion ‌buried parts of a mining complex in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Thursday, an ​official said.
Muhammad Atif, the Chief ​Inspector of Mines in the province, ⁠said 36 people were in ​the collapsed part of the complex ​at the time of the explosion.
Of them, 28 were still missing late on Thursday ​night, with rescue efforts ongoing ​at a depth of 4,000 feet (1,219 metres), ‌Atif ⁠told Reuters. "We are hopeful to find some miners alive, but chances are low," he said.

Abdul Ghani Baloch, ​a senior ​government ⁠mining official in the region, told Reuters that "two mines ​close to each other were ​damaged ⁠in a powerful methane gas explosion."
The incident occurred in Sorange, a ⁠remote ​area near the provincial ​capital Quetta.

-Reuters
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