ISLAMABAD: The recent coal mine tragedy in the Spin Karez area of Quetta in Pakistan's Balochistan, which claimed the lives of 34 miners, has once again ripped open the hazards of the country's mining industry, according to a local media report.
The workers were reportedly several thousand feet underground carrying out routine mining operations on Thursday morning when a powerful methane gas explosion ripped through the mine, triggering a partial collapse and trapping dozens of miners beneath the debris.
The unfortunate death of the miners, who hailed from Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has plunged their hometown into mourning as 22 of those dead belonged to Mian Kallay Pirabad in the district, Aftab Hussain wrote in The Express Tribune.
The remaining victims hailed from neighbouring villages. Most of the deceased were related to one another or belonged to the same extended families and clans. In fact, several households have lost more than one family member, leaving several children orphaned and women widowed.
All the victim of the disaster had travelled hundreds of kilometres from Shangla to Balochistan in search of work to support their families.
"For decades, Shangla has remained one of Pakistan's economically disadvantaged districts. Limited industrial development, scarce employment opportunities, poor agricultural productivity and widespread unemployment have forced thousands of young men to seek work in coal mines across Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab," Hussain wrote.
Local estimates say that nearly 65 per cent of Shangla's population depends directly or indirectly on coal mining for its livelihood. Moreover, it has evolved into a profession passed down through generations rather than merely being an occupation.
The Express Tribune noted that similar coal mine mishaps across Balochistan have claimed the lives of hundreds of workers from Shangla, while thousands have been left permanently disabled, in the past several decades.
"On several occasions, the bodies of five or six workers have arrived in Shangla within a single week," wrote Hussain.
According to social activists and local residents, miners from Shangla continue to work without basic legal protection.
"Most are not formally registered with government authorities and lack access to social security, the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), health insurance or life insurance. Many work through contractors and leaseholders, leaving bereaved families with little or no compensation when fatal accidents occur," the report stated.
--IANS
