Over 40,000 labourers return to native areas after Duki coal mine attack
1. Labour association says workers were fraught with insecurity that led to suspension of coal supply across district
**QUETTA:** Over 40,000 laborers have returned to their home regions following the October 11 terrorist attack on coal mines in Duki, Balochistan.
According to a labor association on Saturday, the workers are experiencing heightened insecurity, which has led to a suspension of coal supply across the district. Reports indicate that mine owners have also failed to pay outstanding wages to the workers.
This development comes one week after unidentified armed assailants launched a deadly rocket attack on local coal mines in the Duki district in the early hours of October 11, resulting in the deaths of 20 miners. The attackers reportedly gathered the miners in one location before opening fire, employing hand grenades and rockets during the assault.
Haji Khairullah Nasir, the owner of the coal mines and District Chairman, stated that ten coal mines in the area were targeted, with the attackers not only assaulting the workers but also setting the mining machinery ablaze.
The labor association noted that approximately 50,000 non-local laborers worked across more than 1,200 mines in the district, supplying nearly 150 trucks of coal to Sindh, Punjab, and other cities in Balochistan.
The suspension of coal supply has had a significant impact on industrial production in the country. According to the association, Balochistan has over 250 million tonnes of coal reserves, employing around 80,000 workers across 2,600 coal mines.
Additionally, the Balochistan government announced a compensation of Rs1.5 million for the families of the workers killed in the Duki attack. However, the families of the 20 deceased laborers, including six from Afghanistan, have yet to receive this compensation, the association reported.
