10 miners trapped in Pak coal mine for over 20 hrs

At least 10 miners are trapped more than a kilometre (nearly a mile) underground after a fire started by an electrical short circuit in a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, officials said yesterday. Rescue efforts were hampered by the fire spreading poisonous carbon monoxide gas inside the mine, some 35 kilometres (22 miles) east of Quetta, the capital of oil and mineral rich Balochistan province. Abdullah Shahwani, a top official for the industry in the province, said 11 miners were working Sunday around 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) underground when the accident happened. "Fire erupted due to a cable short circuit, causing the spread of poisonous monoxide gas," Shahwani told AFP. One miner has been rescued but 10 remain trapped inside, he said.