Afghanistan coal mine gas kills 4, official says

Four men died of gas asphyxiation while extracting coal at a mine in northeastern Afghanistan, the information department of Baghlan province said Sunday.

Sayed Mustafa Hashimi, the department head, said the accident happened at a mine in Tala Wa Barfak that did not meet safety standards.

Afghanistan's mining industry is poorly regulated, and fatal accidents are common. In July last year, six miners were killed and 18 were injured in a coal mine collapse in Baghlan.