Quetta, Pakistan — At least three miners have died after a methane gas explosion caused a coal mine to collapse in a remote area of southwest Pakistan, officials said Friday, as authorities launched an operation to rescue nine other missing workers.

The bodies of four miners were recovered from a collapsed coal mine in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday, while rescue teams continue efforts to reach eight others still trapped underground. Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind said the miners had been stranded since Thursday evening when a methane gas explosion caused the

None of the miners had been rescued yet, he added. Shahid Rind, a spokesman in the Balochistan government, said all available resources are being used to save the lives of the coal miners. In a statement,

At least 12 miners were trapped in Pakistan on Thursday after an explosion caused a coal mine collapse in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The mishap occurred in the Sanjdi area outside the capital city of Quetta.