Operation continued on Friday to rescue 12 coal mines trapped inside a coal mine after an explosion caused by methane gas in Sanjdi area of Balochistan, approximately 40 kilometre from Quetta.

The explosion took place the previous day, trapping 12 coal miners around 4,000 feet deep inside a mine of United Coal Company in Sanjdi area of the province.

Talking to media, Chief Inspector Mines Balochistan, Abdul Ghani Baloch said that teams were struggling to rescue the trapped miners, but presence of methane gas inside the mine was hampering rescue operations.

Director General, Provincial Disaster Management Authority Balochistan, Jahanzaib Khan said that rescue teams of PDMA were also taking part in the rescue operation for rescuing all the trapped miners, adding that debris of the collapsed mine had been removed to provide access to the rescuers in rescue operations.