Methane blasts in Pakistan landmine kill 6, over 50 trapped

YNet, (Reuters), 03.20.11

Methane gas sparked explosions inside a coal mine in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan on Sunday, killing at least six miners and trapping over 50 whose chances of survival seem slim, a government official said.

The blasts occurred in a mine run by state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) in Surran range, some 35 km (22 miles) east of the provincial capital, Quetta. "There were at least three explosions. There were 59 workers inside the mine when the explosions took place," Mohammad Iftikhar, chief inspector of mines in the region, told Reuters. (Reuters)