Ill-fated incident

An unfortunate incident of a blast at a coal mine in southern Pakistan, which claimed dozens of precious lives, made the whole of Pakistan sad (“Explosion at coal mine kills 34 in southern Pakistan,” July31, Gulf Today website).

According to the report, a blast at a coal mine killed at least 34 workers in southern Pakistan, the provincial disaster agency said on Friday, as rescuers searched for more missing miners. The explosion, suspected to be caused by methane gas, tore through the mine near the capital of the resource-rich province of Balochistan.”

The coal mine workers are mostly from poor families, and they work hard to support their entire families. The ill-fated incident, which took place on Friday, will affect the victims’ families financially.

Hats off to the rescue teams who are working hard to recover the bodies of the missing workers, and I am sure they will leave no stone unturned to save the trapped workers as well.

The Government of Pakistan must conduct an independent inquiry into the ill-fated incident and must provide financial support to the families who lost their loved ones in this disastrous incident.

Shahid Arain
By email