Pakistan coal mine blast kills at least 34, agency says
A coal mine blast in southern Pakistan killed at least 34 workers, Balochistan's provincial disaster management authority said Friday, as rescuers searched for more missing miners.
The explosion, caused by methane gas, tore through the mine near the capital of Balochistan province on Thursday, triggering a rescue operation that continued into the night.
“According to information received from the deployed teams, 34x Dead bodies have been recovered,” the provincial disaster management authority said in a statement early Friday.
“The joint rescue operation is still underway to locate and recover the remaining trapped miners,” it added. The agency did not say how many people were in the mine when the explosion happened.
Mining accidents are common in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan. The province is Pakistan's largest by land area and lags behind the rest of the country in several development measures, including education, employment and economic development.
Update
The explosion was caused by methane gas, according to the supplied account.
The blast happened on Thursday near the capital of Balochistan province.
The rescue operation continued into the night.
The disaster agency did not specify how many workers were in the mine when the explosion happened.
Mining accidents are common in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 03:43:22 UTC.
Update
The provincial disaster agency said the dead were workers.
Balochistan's provincial disaster management authority said 34 bodies had been recovered.
Rescuers were searching for more missing miners.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 03:25:24 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The disaster agency did not specify how many workers were in the mine when the explosion happened.
The number of missing or trapped miners remained unclear.
Source
AFP news report published on .