At least 34 workers have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in southern Pakistan, with rescue teams continuing efforts to locate other miners believed to be trapped underground.
The explosion, which occurred on Thursday at a mine near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, was triggered by a buildup of methane gas, according to officials.
The incident prompted an overnight rescue operation as emergency teams worked to recover victims and search for survivors.
In a statement released early Friday, the Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority, PDMA, said rescue personnel had recovered 34 bodies from the site.
“According to information received from the deployed teams, 34 dead bodies have been recovered,” the agency stated, adding that the joint rescue operation was still ongoing to find and retrieve any remaining trapped miners.
Authorities did not disclose the total number of workers who were inside the mine at the time of the explosion or how many miners remained unaccounted for.
Mining-related accidents are frequent in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, where safety challenges and difficult working conditions have often been linked to fatal incidents.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area and one of its least developed regions, continues to face economic and social challenges, including low levels of education, employment opportunities and overall development compared with other parts of the country.