11 dead in Baghlan coalmine fire

PUL-I-KHUMRI (PAN): Eleven people were killed when a fire erupted inside a coalmine in northern Baghlan province on Saturday, officials said.

The incident happened in the Chinarak area of Nehrin district early in the morning, Fazal Rahman, the town’s administrative head, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said the victims were extracting coal from the mine in an unprofessional way and that could have caused the fire, he believed.

A rescue team had been sent to the area to retrieve the bodies and survivors trapped in the mine, the district chief said.

Hussain Ali, one of the labourers, said: “We were working in another mine when the Chinarak coalmine caved in.”  More than a dozen individuals were in the mine at the time of the incident, he added.

mrh/mud

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