Coal mine blast in Pakistan kills at least 32 miners and traps 10 others

The blast on the outskirts of the Baluchistan provincial capital, Quetta, appeared to have been triggered by a buildup of methane gas, officials said.

QUETTA, Pakistan — An explosion inside a coal mine in southwest Pakistan killed at least 32 miners Thursday and trapped 10 others underground in what officials believed to be life-threatening conditions as rescuers raced to reach them.

The blast was apparently triggered by a buildup of methane gas and occurred on the outskirts of the Baluchistan provincial capital of Quetta, said government mine inspector Ghani Baloch.

People gather as rescue workers attempt to reach miners trapped in a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. Fazal Tawab / APThe bodies of seven people were recovered hours after the blast, and emergency responders later found 25 more bodies, officials and a provincial disaster management agency said in a statement. It said the search-and-rescue operation was continuing, with rescue teams working to locate and recover the remaining trapped miners.

Baloch said rescue operations would continue until all the trapped miners were found, but he added that officials believed the death toll was likely to rise further.

Deadly accidents are common in Pakistan’s coal mining industry, particularly in Baluchistan.Fazal Tawab / AP file“The chances of finding anyone alive diminish after methane gas explosions because oxygen levels drop to zero, and rescuers are also proceeding cautiously inside the mine,” Baloch said.