Up to 50 miners trapped after blast in Pakistan

Methane gas caused explosions inside a coal mine in the south-western province of Baluchistan yesterday, killing at least six miners and trapping more than 50 whose chances of survival seemed slim.

The blasts occurred in a mine run by the state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, about 22 miles east of the provincial capital, Quetta.

Such explosions are not uncommon in coal mines in Pakistan, most of which are located in Baluchistan and Sindh province, where safety measures can be lax. The country has huge coal reserves.