Blast Buries Parts of Sorange Coal Mine Complex in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province

On July 30, a powerful methane-gas explosion collapsed two adjacent coal mines in Sorange, a remote area near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Provincial officials said 36 miners were inside the affected section at the time. The blast destroyed parts of the mining complex and trapped workers at a depth of roughly 4,000 feet (1,219 m).

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Shoaib Nosherwani, Balochistan’s minister for mines and mineral development, told Reuters that 36 people were in the collapsed portion of the mine. Abdul Ghani Baloch, a senior government mining official, identified the cause as a “powerful methane gas explosion” that damaged the two mines.

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The two news outlets provide differing casualty counts. The US News report, citing Reuters, states that at least 11 miners were killed and 25 are missing. The Strait Times report, also citing Reuters, puts the death toll at at least eight miners with 28 still missing. Both agree that a total of 36 workers were present, but the exact number of fatalities and missing persons remains unsettled. No further details on the condition of the missing miners or the structural integrity of the remaining mine sections have been released.

The Straits Times

• “Two mines close to each other were damaged in a powerful methane gas explosion.” — Abdul Ghani Baloch, a senior government mining official in the region — Abdul Ghani Baloch, senior government mining official

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