Officials said the mine was declared dangerous two weeks ago A series of methane gas explosions at a mine in Pakistan's Balochistan province have killed at least 21 workers, officials say.
Rescue workers are trying to reach about 30 other miners who are trapped.
An official told the BBC that hopes of rescuing the survivors were fading because of a lack of oxygen.
The mine, near the provincial capital, Quetta, was declared dangerous two weeks ago but those warnings were ignored, reports said.
Balochistan is rich in minerals but its mines have a poor safety record.
"We are trying our best to rescue as many workers as we can, but the chance of finding survivors is bleak now," mine inspector Iftikhar Ahmed told the Associated Press news agency.
The mine in the remote Sorange district is owned by the state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, but it was leased to a contractor, officials said.
Action will be taken against those responsible for ignoring warnings to stop mining, they said.
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-south-asia-12802355
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