Twelve miners were killed and eight rescued after an explosion in a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.
"The rescue operation has just been completed," said Abdul Ghani Baloch, Balochistan province's chief inspector of mines, on Wednesday morning. He said that 20 miners had been inside the mine overnight when a methane gas explosion occurred.
He added that rescue teams recovered 12 bodies while the survivors had been taken to hospital.
Prevalent mine accidents in this region
Coal deposits are found in the western areas of Pakistan that sit near the Afghan border, and mine accidents are common, mainly due to gas build-ups.
Labor union officials have said in the past that mine workers have complained that a lack of safety gear and poor working conditions are the key causes of frequent accidents.