A marble quarry in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, became a tomb for nine miners on April 9, as the structure collapsed without warning. This fatal accident has ignited outrage over Pakistan’s woefully neglected mining safety infrastructure.
Pakistan’s extractive industries rank among the deadliest globally, with workers ensnared by systemic oversights. Routine hazards like structural failures and gas blasts persist because of lax rules and zero accountability, experts warn.
The Express Tribune’s editorial board decried the event: ‘Even with advanced safety protocols worldwide, Pakistan’s mines suffer from underinvestment and flouted laws, making tragedies inevitable.’
Legal frameworks exist on paper for mine inspections and protections, but real-world adherence is abysmal. Most victims hail from low-income families, entering pits untrained, under-equipped, and underpaid.
Urgent calls ring out for government intervention: mandatory training programs, premium safety tools, rapid rescue teams, and enforced compliance.
Similar horrors recur. In December, Quetta’s Sorange coal mine succumbed to a landslide, killing two. Balochistan inspector Rafiullah detailed how debris entombed the men. October saw methane-triggered deaths of four Afghan miners in Duki and Chamalang, per police reports.
As grief grips communities, the onus falls on policymakers to overhaul this perilous sector before more lives are lost.
