According to Harnai Deputy Commissioner Hazrat Wali Kakar, the blast occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Coal Mines Area PMDC 94 in Harnai’s Shahrag district, reported Dawn News.

“The bodies of the deceased and the injured have been shifted to the Shahrag Basic Health Unit,” Kakar told the newspaper.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Law enforcement officials have reached the spot.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is quite active in the region and mostly carries out attacks against Pakistani security forces.

According to identity documents seen by Dawn. com, the deceased coal miners belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district.

As per Islamabad-based analysis group Center for Research and Security Studies, 2024 was one of the deadliest for Pakistan when at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks occurred.

Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e. 1612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year and marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, the group said in a statement.

The overall fatalities recorded in 2024 were a record 9-year high, and over 66% more than 2023.