52 feared dead in Pakistan coal mine accident
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Rescue workers used shovels and bare hands Monday to dig out victims buried by explosions in a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, and officials said they feared all 52 miners underground at the time of the accident were dead.
The workers have recovered 24 bodies after digging through one of the mine's three wings, said Iftikhar Ahmed, a top mine inspector. The search was slowed by the presence of poisonous methane gas, which caused Sunday's explosions, and also by the fragile state of the mine, which prevented the use of heavy machinery, he said. (AP)
