SAFETY CONCERNS
Relatives, rescuers, and miners gathered at the mine entrance in Sorange, around 50km from the provincial capital Quetta, as the rescue operations were carried out.
Rescuers and workers, some wearing hard hats but most in everyday attire, helped carry bodies out of the concrete tunnel, some covered in black soot.
They ferried them on stretchers to waiting vehicles and ambulances near the entrance to the mine.
Mining accidents are common in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, and labour rights movements have previously called for ramped-up safety standards and enforcement for the sector.
Pakistan’s poorest province and largest by landmass, Balochistan lags behind the rest of the country in almost every index, including education, employment and economic development, but is rich in resources including coal – as well as more lucrative gold and copper reserves.
