Three coal mine workers lost their lives after toxic gas accumulated inside a private coal lease in the Degari area, once again exposing hazardous conditions in Balochistan’s mining sector, officials and local sources said on Wednesday.

In the Degari locality of Machh, workers were engaged in underground operations when a sudden release of methane and other toxic gases rapidly filled the confined space, causing immediate unconsciousness and fatal suffocation, according to local accounts.

The deceased workers include Murad Bakhsh, Ali Hassan, and Dilawar Khan.