QUETTA: After a six-day rescue effort, the bodies of all 12 laborers who were buried in a coal mine at a depth of more than 4,000 feet due to a methane gas explosion have been recovered.
According to Ghani Baloch, Chief Inspector of Mines Balochistan, the final victim of the Sanjdi mine tragedy was retrieved Tuesday morning from a depth of 3,000 feet within the mine. He also informed Dawn that the operation was finished and that an investigation into the incident was mandated following the mine’s closure.
A mines inspector assigned to the Sanjdi coal mine area has been suspended by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. The Chief Minister’s Inspection Team has been tasked with investigating the incident, with a focus on implementing cutting-edge mining safety protocols that are utilized globally in Balochistan’s coal mines.
The chief minister, who presided over a high-level meeting on Tuesday, voiced his frustration over the province’s lack of adoption of common safety protocols in coal mining and emphasized the necessity of conducting routine inspections at all costs.
CM suspends the mines inspector and requests a probe.
The Mines and Minerals Development Department gave a briefing and the discussion covered recent mining incidents in Balochistan.
PDMA DG Jahanzeb Khan, Principal Secretary Babar Khan, Special Secretary Mines Mohammad Farooq, province Minister for Finance and Mineral Development Mir Shoaib Nosherwani, and opposition leader Dr. Ibadullah Khan of the KP Assembly were among those present at the meeting.
The chief minister voiced displeasure with the conduct of inspection teams and raised concern about the recurrent incidences, citing recent mine accidents.
According to him, security concerns are not a valid reason why inspectors cannot enter the mines.
According to CM Bugti, “if concerned officials are unable to perform their assigned tasks, they should resign and go home.” He also stated that accidents should have clear accountability and that those who are at fault should face consequences.
He pointed out that it appeared that negligence was the cause of the second accident at the same company in a single year.
He gave the Mines and Minerals Department instructions to produce a detailed proposal and ordered the Rescue and Training Wing to be outfitted with the newest technology.
Additionally, CM Bugti mandated that all mine workers register with the appropriate authority and that workers’ compensation for accidents be paid immediately.
