KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A makeshift coal mine collapsed Tuesday in northern Afghanistan, burying five miners and leaving four more missing, a provincial security official said.
Jawed Basharat, a spokesman for the provincial police chief in northern Baghlan province said a rescue team is at the site in Nahrin district.
Collapsing coal mines are happening more often in Afghanistan. There are no professional ways of mining and extraction in the country. Local workers use traditional techniques and put their lives at risk in remote areas.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Afghanistan has reserves of oil, gas, lithium, and other rare metals and minerals worth trillions of dollars, most of which remain untouched due to insecurity and violence in different parts of the country.