At least 34 miners have died after a methane gas explosion struck a coal mine near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, officials said. Rescue teams launched an overnight operation and remain on site as they search for other workers believed to be trapped underground.
Authorities say the blast, which occurred on Thursday, was caused by a buildup of methane gas inside the mine. The Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority issued a statement early Friday confirming the recovery of 34 bodies, saying, “According to information received from the deployed teams, 34 dead bodies have been recovered.” The agency added that the joint rescue operation was ongoing to find and retrieve any remaining trapped miners.
Officials have not disclosed how many people were working inside the mine when the explosion occurred, nor how many remain unaccounted for. That lack of basic data complicates the rescue effort and leaves families and local authorities without a clear picture of the scale of the disaster.
Mining accidents are a recurring problem in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, where safety shortcomings and difficult working conditions have frequently been linked to fatal incidents. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land area and one of its least developed regions, facing persistent economic and social challenges, including lower levels of education, limited employment opportunities and weaker overall development compared with other parts of the country.
Rescue teams continued to work at the scene after the PDMA update, focusing on locating any survivors and recovering additional victims. The province’s history of mining accidents and the absence of full passenger counts or occupancy records in this case increase the urgency of the operation and the need for clarity from authorities. For now the immediate priorities are completing the search and accounting for all workers who were inside the mine when the explosion occurred.
