The death toll from a coal mine collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province has risen to 34 after rescue teams recovered six more bodies from the site on Friday, officials said, as operations continued to search for miners still believed to be trapped underground.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), rescue workers remain engaged in a challenging operation at the mine in Sorange, near Quetta, while authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of miners still missing.

The owner of the mine said 42 workers were inside the shaft when the collapse occurred. Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was likely triggered by a methane gas explosion, a common and deadly hazard in underground coal mining.

The disaster has left several families grieving, including one from the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where three brothers and two of their cousins were among those killed.

The victims had travelled hundreds of kilometers to Balochistan in search of daily-wage employment in the province's coal mines, underscoring the economic pressures that compel many workers to accept hazardous jobs far from their homes.

Balochistan Minister for Mines and Minerals Mir Shoaib Nosherwani said the provincial government had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the collapse.

He said authorities would also review safety procedures throughout the mining sector and strengthen enforcement of occupational safety regulations to help prevent similar incidents.

"All aspects of the incident will be thoroughly investigated, while safety arrangements in the mining sector are being reassessed to help prevent such tragedies in the future," Nosherwani said.

Coal mine accidents remain a persistent problem in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Sindh, where inadequate ventilation systems, poor working conditions, aging infrastructure and weak enforcement of safety regulations continue to put miners at risk.

Earlier this month, four labourers were killed and five others seriously injured after a wall collapsed inside the Ibrahim Coal Mines near Meting railway station in Sindh's Thatta district.

The victims in that incident were identified as Ziaullah, 40, Noor Mohammad, 51, and Irfanullah, 20, all from Swat district, along with Saindad, 41, from Sanghar district.

The latest tragedy in Sorange has once again renewed calls for stricter oversight of Pakistan's mining industry, with labour rights advocates urging authorities to improve workplace safety, enforce mining regulations and provide greater protection for the thousands of workers employed in the country's coal sector. (ILKHA)