Explosions at Pakistan mines kill over 20

Gas explosions in two coal mines in Pakistan have killed more than than 20, officials confirmed.

At least 16 miners died on Saturday after an explosion in a coalmine in southwest Pakistan.

The blast in the Marwar coalfields in Baluchistan province was caused by a build-up of methane gas inside the mine, director of disaster management Attaullah Khan said.

He said two other labourers died in a landslide in an another mine nearby. It was not immediately clear if that was caused by the explosion.

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Another seven people died in a separate blast on Saturday, which also wounded two people. Rescue operations have been completed at both sites, and the explosions were not linked.

The mines are near the southwestern city of Quetta, an area where such accidents are common because of poor enforcement of safety regulations.

The mines are mostly owned by state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, which leases many of them to private contractors.

The country has huge coal reserves estimated at more than 184 billion tonnes. It produces four million tonnes of coal annually, most of which is consumed by brick-making kilns. – PA, Reuters