Quetta, Pakistan — At least three miners have died after a methane gas explosion caused a coal mine to collapse in a remote area of southwest Pakistan, officials said Friday, as authorities launched an operation to rescue nine other missing workers.

The bodies of four miners were recovered from a collapsed coal mine in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday, while rescue teams continue efforts to reach eight others still trapped underground. Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind said the miners had been stranded since Thursday evening when a methane gas explosion caused the

Rescuers race to save 12 workers after gas explosion in Pakistan coal mine - Blast likely caused by accumulation of methane gas