KABUL, Afghanistan — A coal mine in the Khak-e-Safid area of Dara-e-Suf district, Samangan province, collapsed on Saturday evening, trapping 35 workers under the debris, local Taliban officials said.
Rescue operations are underway to retrieve the trapped workers, but none have been freed yet, according to local Taliban officials. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, according to Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency.
This latest disaster comes on the heels of another mining accident in Bamiyan province’s Khwaja Ganj village, where two workers died from gas exposure at a coal mine earlier this week.
Afghanistan’s mining sector has been the site of frequent fatal accidents, often attributed to inadequate safety measures and a lack of proper equipment.
