Seven killed in southwest Pakistan coal mining disaster

Five miners, two rescuers die of suffocation after a methane gas fire in Balochistan – second such disaster in a week.

Quetta, Pakistan – At least five coal miners and two rescuers have died of suffocation after a methane gas fire in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, officials say. It was the second mine disaster in the region within a week. The fire took place at a mine in the Tor Ghar area of Harnai district, about 170km (105 miles) west of the provincial capital Quetta, late on Monday, said government official Sohail Anwer Hashmi.