At least 34 miners have died after a methane gas explosion tore through the Sorange coalfield near Quetta, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, trapping more than 50 workers underground during a shift change.
The blast struck approximately 1,200 metres below the surface, triggering significant structural collapses that killed several miners instantly and left others trapped beneath debris.
The PTI news agency reported that the explosion occurred as workers were changing shifts, a detail that likely increased the number of people present in the mine at the time.
Rescue teams have since recovered 34 bodies and pulled 22 survivors from the wreckage, according to figures released by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
Chief Inspector of Mines Muhammad Atif, quoted by the Hindu via PTI, said that while 22 workers were initially known to be trapped in the affected mine, additional miners were caught in a neighbouring site that was also hit by the blast.
That has complicated rescue efforts, with emergency crews working across two locations to reach anyone still unaccounted for.
Pir Muhammad Kakar, a representative of the All Pakistan Coal Miners Association, said the disaster stemmed from a dangerous accumulation of methane gas underground.
He linked the buildup to broader safety failures common among private mine operators in the region, who he said routinely ignore safety protocols and fail to properly register their workers.
“When such explosions happen so deep underground, the chance of survival is low because they usually damage the entrance and exit points,” Kakar said.
Balochistan’s Mines and Minerals Minister, Shoaib Nosherwani, acknowledged that rescue operations at such depth are extremely difficult.
He said the government would launch a full investigation into the cause of the explosion and undertake a review of mining safety measures across the province.
The Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation responded to the tragedy by calling for stricter enforcement of existing safety regulations.
The federation demanded tough action against mining companies found to be violating safety laws, arguing that lax oversight has repeatedly put workers’ lives at risk.
Fatal accidents are a persistent problem in Pakistan’s coal mining industry, particularly in Balochistan, where many mines lack adequate ventilation systems, gas detection equipment and other basic safety infrastructure.
Labour organisations and mine workers themselves have long accused owners of cutting corners on safety standards and failing to provide sufficient protective gear, a pattern that critics say has made such disasters tragically routine.
The Sorange coalfield explosion adds to a grim history of mining accidents in the province, where deep, poorly regulated mines continue to operate despite repeated warnings from labour advocates.
As rescue operations continue, attention is likely to turn toward whether the promised investigation results in meaningful changes to enforcement, or whether, as federation officials fear, the disaster becomes another entry in a long list of preventable tragedies.
