PESHAWAR: A collapse at a marble quarry in a remote area of Pakistan on Monday has killed at least 17 people, and 11 others are missing, police said, adding that the terrain may have been unstable due to the use of heavy explosives used to break apart the stone.
Rescue workers, including Pakistani soldiers, continued to dig through the rubble to find survivors on Tuesday.
The quarry is located in the Ziarat area of Mohmand in western Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan. The area is known for its high quality white marble, both sold in Pakistan and exported to other countries.
Between 40 and 50 people were at the site at the time of the collapse which occurred Monday evening, Tariq Habib, district police chief of Mohmand district told Reuters.
“Usually a large number of people work in these marble mines but luckily a majority had finished work and returned home,” he said.
Nine people were injured. The number of fatalities was unclear because some families took bodies of loved ones directly to their homes from the site, said Sameen Shinwari, a doctor at the Ghalanai District Headquarters Hospital, about 50 kilometers away.
Cellular signals and other communication facilities are unreliable in large parts of Mohmand district, including the area where the quarry is located.
Deadly mining accidents are not uncommon in Pakistan.
At least 10 workers were killed in a rockslide at a marble quarry in the northwestern district of Buner in February. Thirty workers were killed in explosions at two coal mines in the southwestern city of Quetta in 2018.
In 2011, 45 workers were also killed by an explosion at a coal mine outside Quetta.
Marble quarry collapse in remote Pakistan kills at least 17
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Marble quarry collapse in remote Pakistan kills at least 17
- Rescue workers, including Pakistani soldiers, continued to dig through the rubble to find survivors on Tuesday
- 40 and 50 people were at the site at the time of the collapse which occurred Monday evening
Pakistan’s Agha weighs future after poor T20 World Cup campaign
- Pakistan suffered defeats at hands of heavyeights England, arch-rivals India in the tournament
- Pakistan’s middle order often did not click while spinners could not exploit turning conditions
Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya said he will step down as head coach, while Pakistan’s Salman Agha said he will take time to decide whether to remain captain after both teams’ poor campaigns at the Twenty20 World Cup.
Tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka made the Super Eights but the 2014 champion lost all three matches to finish at the bottom of Group Two.
“I thought it was time to give it (the job) to someone else,” Jayasuriya said after their narrow defeat to Pakistan on Saturday.
“That’s why about two months ago I’d said during the England series that I don’t have hopes of staying in the job for long. I’d taken this decision by then.
“I thought I’d be able to leave as coach on a good note in the World Cup. I wasn’t able to do that as well as I’d like, and I’m sad about that.”
The former captain, whose contract runs until June, said he was yet to convey his decision to Sri Lanka Cricket.
“I haven’t given SLC any news officially yet. They don’t know that I am going to say this even. I will need to go and discuss with them.”
It was an underwhelming tournament for Pakistan as well that included a comprehensive defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in a group match.
Pakistan’s middle order often did not click, while their slow bowlers could not make the most of the spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka where they played all their matches.
“We have underperformed in the whole tournament,” captain Agha told reporters.
“We are out of the semis due to our failure in decision-making in pressure situations.”
Agha said he and head coach Mike Hesson took full responsibility for their poor performance in a global multi-team event.
He was unhappy with his own form but said he was not in a hurry to take a call on whether to stay as Pakistan’s white-ball captain.
“I will go back and take some time to decide,” the 32-year-old said.
“Because at this point of time stepping down would be an emotional decision.”
