Twin mining accidents kill 23 in Pakistan

At least 23 miners have been killed in two separate accidents in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said.

Quetta Deputy Commissioner Farrukh Atique said 16 miners were killed in a coal mine in Marwar, after a methane gas explosion caused a roof to collapse.

“There were no arrangement inside the mine, including air ventilation,” Akhterzada, an injured coal miner told Al Jazeera. 

“The owners and managers of mine companies don’t care for poor workers, because for them money is more important than our lives,” Akhterzada added after he was brought to a hospital.

According to local media, about 25 people were in the mine when the explosion occurred.

Emergency services were able to rescue nine others, who were brought to nearby hospitals.

A separate accident in the northern part of the Balochistan region killed seven miners and injured two, government officials said. 

The accident took place in the Surran range coal field. 

Mines in Pakistan are operated by the semi-autonomous Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation.

Mining in Pakistan is often done in unsafe circumstances. According to the Pakistan Mining Labour Federation, between 100 and 200 miners die in accidents annually.

In 2011, an explosion in a coal mine in Balochistan killed at least 45 miners.

Balochistan is rich in minerals, including coal, silicium, copper and gold.