QUETTA – All 43 miners in a colliery in Quetta that was hit by a blast at the weekend have been confirmed dead, officials said Tuesday, as rescuers ended their search operation.
“All 43 bodies have been recovered,” said Iftikhar Ahmed, provincial chief inspector of mines for the Baluchistan province.
“There are no survivors and the mine is being sealed,” Ahmed said.
President of Pakistan Mines Workers Federation Bakht Nawab confirmed the final toll.
The mine in the far-flung Sorrange district of Baluchistan was poorly ventilated, allowing poisonous gases to accumulate and trigger blasts that led to a collapse on Sunday, officials said.
The mine is run by the state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation and officials said they will launch an investigation into why the warnings to stop mining were not heeded.
Most coal mines in the province are notorious for overseeing poor safety standards and similar deadly accidents have occurred in the past.
