Daily Times

Seven persons were killed as poisonous gas contaminated a pond in Chaman, Balochistan on Monday. According to police, the incident occured near a wholesale shop at Trench Road. The deceased had jumped in to save a child who was in the pond, said the police, adding that further investigation is underway. The deceased were shifted to the Civil Hospital. Earlier, in March 2020, at least seven workers were killed in a coalmine blast in the provincial capital Quetta. At the time, Pakistan Mines and Labour Federation General Secretary Sultan Khan said that the incident took place due to gas leakage in the mine. Four miners were also injured in the explosion. Pakistan has a long history of coalmine accidents, mainly because of poor infrastructure and a lack of safety standards. Meanwhile, in May last year, 23 miners were killed in two coalmine blasts near Quetta. The annual death toll from coalmine accidents averages around 200, according to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation.