2 labourers killed in Lower Orakzai coal mine explosion

Two labourers were killed while one another was injured in an explosion at a coal mine in Lower Orakzai tribal region’s Khuno Sam area on Saturday, an official said.

District Police Officer Nazir Khan told Dawn.com that three labourers were trapped in the mine earlier today after what is believed to be a gas explosion.

He said rescue officials, local volunteers and the police rushed to the scene and managed to recover two bodies. The remaining labourer was pulled out of the rubble in an injured condition and was shifted to Kohat Hospital.

Last month, nine labourers were killed in a similar incident in Orakzai’s Doli area. Subsequently, a government team from the mineral development department had inspected the site of the incident and said that the explosion took place “due to gas sparks inside the mine”.

Coal deposits are found in the northwestern Orakzai district that sits on the Afghan border and mine accidents are common, mainly due to gas build-ups.