QUETTA, Pakistan – A devastating methane gas explosion at an underground coal mine in southwestern Pakistan has claimed the lives of 34 miners, local authorities confirmed Friday, after emergency crews spent hours working through the night to reach trapped workers.\n\nThe Provincial Disaster Management Authority reported that rescuers had pulled 32 bodies from the blast site located on the outer edges of Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan province, as of Friday morning. Search operations were still underway to recover the remains of the two remaining deceased miners.\n\nGhani Baloch, a local mine inspector, shared that officials initially estimated 42 miners were working inside the mine when the explosion struck Thursday. It was later confirmed that 34 workers were killed in the incident.\n\nShoaib Nosherwani, Balochistan’s Minister for Mines and Minerals, released a statement offering deep condolences to the families of all killed miners. He also announced a compensation package of 500,000 Pakistani rupees, equivalent to roughly $1,800, for each victim’s next of kin. Nosherwani added that a full official investigation will be launched to determine the root cause of the explosion, and that a province-wide review of coal mine safety protocols will be conducted in the wake of the disaster.\n\nFatal industrial accidents are a persistent crisis in Pakistan’s coal mining sector, especially in Balochistan. Many mining operations across the province lack critical basic safety infrastructure, including sufficient ventilation systems, functional gas detection equipment, and emergency response resources. Despite the severe occupational hazards and low pay that come with mining work, thousands of local residents depend on these jobs to support their households. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area, but also its least developed, with persistently high rates of poverty and unemployment leaving few alternative livelihood options for working-class communities.