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Twelve miners were killed and eight rescued after an explosion<\/a> in a coal mine in the Zardalo area of Balochistan\u2019s Harnai district, officials said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Earlier, it was reported<\/a> that 18 miners were trapped after a big portion of the mine caved in when a powerful explosion took place. The directorate of chief inspector of mines had said that teams launched a rescue operation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rescue operation has been just completed,\u201d said Balochistan chief inspector of mines Abdul Ghani Baloch on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n He said that 20 miners had been inside the mine when a methane gas explosion took place overnight. He added that rescue teams recovered 12 bodies while the survivors had been taken to hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo bodies were recovered during the night, with the remaining 10 retrieved early in the morning,\u201d Abdul Ghani Baloch, chief inspector of mines for Balochistan, told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n Abdullah Shahwani, the province\u2019s director general of mining, also confirmed the death toll.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement<\/a> expressing \u201cprofound sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives\u201d.<\/p>\n According to Radio Pakistan<\/a><\/em>, the premier directed that all possible medical treatment be provided to the injured miners.<\/p>\n Terming such incidents as \u201cvery painful and sad\u201d, he said the government would provide all possible relief to the injured and affected families.<\/p>\n National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah also expressed<\/a> their grief on the incident.<\/p>\n Conveying their condolences to the bereaved families, they prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.<\/p>\n Coal deposits are found in the western areas of Pakistan that sit near the Afghan border and mine accidents are common, mainly due to gas build-ups.<\/p>\n Mine workers have complained that a lack of safety gear and poor working conditions are the key causes of frequent accidents, labour union officials have said in the past.<\/p>\n In December, two coal miners were killed and three injured when a fire broke out<\/a> in a private mine in Balochistan\u2019s Duki coal field.<\/p>\n In September last year, three workers were buried under the rubble of a coal mine in Sindh\u2019s Jamshoro<\/a> when a mine caved in.<\/p>\n Earlier the same year, a coal miner was killed<\/a> and three received burn injuries in a methane gas explosion in a mine in the Duki coal field.<\/p>\n A year ago, at least six miners were killed<\/a> in a gas explosion inside a coal mine in the Harnai district.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nPast incidents<\/h2>\n