Toxic Gas Tragedy in Afghanistan: Two Miners Killed in Samangan Coal Mine
Kabul: Two mine workers lost their lives due to suffocation caused by toxic gas inside a coal mine in Samangan Province on Sunday, highlighting the ongoing dangers in the country’s mining sector.
According to Khaama Press, local Taliban authorities confirmed that the incident occurred in a coal mine located in the Dara-e-Suf Bala district. A statement issued by the Taliban’s provincial police command said the workers died after being exposed to poisonous gas inside the mine. After completing legal formalities, the bodies were handed over to their families for final rites. The deceased workers were residents of Bamiyan Province and Daikundi Province.
The incident once again exposes the hazardous conditions in Afghanistan’s mining industry, where workers are often forced to operate underground with poor ventilation and minimal safety regulations. The coal mines of Dara-e-Suf are among the most active mining sites in the country and have long been associated with fatal accidents caused by tunnel collapses, toxic gases, and lack of emergency rescue equipment.
Such mining accidents underline the ضعف in workplace safety standards across Afghanistan, where economic hardships compel many to take up dangerous jobs without adequate protection or monitoring.
In a similar incident last month, one person was killed and another injured after a mine collapse in Nangarhar Province. The accident occurred in the Spin Ghar district’s Mamand Tor Nao area at a sapphire mine, where victims were trapped under debris and rocks. Security forces rescued the injured individual and shifted him to a nearby health center.
Earlier, on January 9, at least four miners died due to carbon monoxide poisoning in a precious and semi-precious stone mine in the Khash district of Badakhshan Province, further emphasizing the persistent risks faced by miners in the region.
