<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">An explosion inside a coal mine in southwest Pakistan killed 12 miners while eight were rescued, an official said Wednesday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bodies of the dead were all recovered after the overnight collapse in Harnai, a district in the Baluchistan province, a mine inspector Abdul Rashid said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said investigators were still working to determine the cause of the blast.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement expressed his sorrow over the deaths.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Safety standards are commonly ignored in the coal mining industry in Pakistan, leading to accidents and explosions that kill dozens of mine workers every year. Miners often complain that owners fail to install safety equipment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the danger and low wages, hundreds of miners work in Baluchistan, where unemployment is higher than other parts of the country. Harnai is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of Quetta, Baluchistan’s capital city. - AP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/fas</div>