Quetta:

The bodies of 10 more miners were pulled out of a collapsed coal mine in southern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, bringing the death toll to 12 after the rescue.

Hundreds of workers were trapped about 800 feet (244 meters) underground after a gas explosion occurred at the privately owned Khorst mine on Tuesday night.

“Rescue operations have recovered all 12 bodies,” Abdul Ghani Baloch, chief inspector of mines in Balochistan province, told AFP.

“Two bodies were recovered during the night and the remaining 10 bodies were found in the early morning.”

Balochistan mining director Abdullah Shahwani also confirmed the death toll and said “preliminary reports indicate that the incident was caused by methane gas”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement expressing “deep sadness at the loss of precious lives.”

Only 10 miners were initially thought to have been involved in the collapse, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the city of Quetta.

Rescuers from the government’s mining department and disaster management agency rushed to the scene overnight.

A group of eight people who tried to rescue their colleagues were also trapped for several hours but were later pulled to safety by government rescue teams, some of whom were unconscious.

Pakistan’s mines are known for dangerous working conditions and poor safety standards, and fatal incidents are not uncommon.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, is rich in natural resources, but locals have long complained that these resources are not shared equitably among communities.

“This incident is not the first in Balochistan and it will not be the last,” Lala Sultan, president of the Balochistan Coal Mine Workers Federation, told AFP.

“Safety measures in coal mines are barely implemented. While other provinces have some safety protocols in place, security in Balochistan has been completely ignored.”

In May 2018, gas explosions occurred at two neighboring coal mines in the same area, killing 23 people and injuring 11 others.

Officials also blamed both incidents on a buildup of methane gas, which caused explosions and tunnel collapses.

In 2011, a gas explosion caused a landslide in another coal mine in Balochistan, killing 43 workers.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)