A marble mine collapse in Pakistan killed 22 laborers, while many are still stuck. The laborers were busy in excavation operations during the collapse, which happened in Mohmand district in Peshawar. Many still feared trapped with rescue underway currently.
As reported by the Hindu, at least 22 people have died. Many more are still fighting for their lives as six units of the famed marble mines collapsed, which resulted in large boulders falling on the laborers in Pakistan’s Ziarat Ghar mountain, where marble mining is a common practice.
The incident took place on Monday night, where 12 of the workers died immediately while ten others succumbed to their injuries at the district Mohmand Hospital, and many more still trapped.
Rescue operations underway
The rescue operations are underway as around 15-20 people are still buried under the rubble. Due to the darkness on Monday night, it was difficult to carry out these operations, which continued on Tuesday with heavy machinery reaching the mishap’s site.
Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Alam said the death toll is expected to rise with the rescue operations going on.
“An operation to rescue those trapped underneath the rubble is currently underway. Five ambulances and one recovery vehicle have been sent to Mohmand from Peshawar,” reported Dawn News. Rescue Officer Bilal Faizi said most of the injured were in serious condition.
Meanwhile, rescuers have since retrieved seven more bodies, and a search and rescue operation is underway, with more heavy machinery and workforce dispatched to the site, the broadcaster reported.
The District Police Officer Mohmand Tariq Habib said, as cited by the media outlet, that 15-20 people were still feared to be trapped.
It is not the first mishap of this kind in Pakistan
It is not the first time that something of this sort has happened in Pakistan mines. Earlier in 2015, a mine collapsed like the current one had happened, killing 12 laborers on site.
Another accident like this occurred when at least 43 miners were killed in Balochistan’s Strange district in 2011 due also to a blast at a coal mine.
The majority of the Mohmand region is a tribal area known for its marble reserves. Most of the deceased include laborers, and few others gathered at the foothill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Safi town near the Afghanistan border, about 85 km from the provincial capital Peshawar.
It is said that the mines’ standards are in deplorable condition, due to that, the workers’ safety is always at risk.
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