Nine Killed In Pakistan Coal-Mine Collapse

Coal miners protest against poor working conditions after a coal mine collapsed in Quetta in May.

Nine coal miners have been killed and four others injured when the roof of a mine collapsed in northwestern Pakistan, officials say.

The accident occurred in the northwestern town of Darra Adam Khel early on September 12 as workers entered the coal mine.

The cause for the roof collapse was not immediately clear.

Officials said two of the four injured miners were in serious condition.

The incident is the second fatal coal-mining accident in Pakistan in a month.

On August 13, at least 18 miners were killed after a blast at a mine near the southwestern city of Quetta.

The country has suffered many coal-mine disasters, a situation that critics have blamed on poor safety standards.

The Pakistan Central Mines Labor Federation has said that an average of 200 miners a year die in accidents.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP