Quetta: Two coal miners were killed after a coal mine collapsed in the Khost area of Harnai district, according to mining authorities.

Officials said the incident occurred at a coal mine operated by contractor Mehrullah in the Khost Mining Industry of Pakistan coalfield area. The miners became trapped after a section of the mine caved in.

According to authorities, both workers died at the scene as a result of the collapse.

Fellow miners later carried out a rescue operation on a self-help basis and succeeded in retrieving the bodies from inside the mine.

Police said the bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital, where legal formalities were completed before they were handed over to the victims' families.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear. No statement regarding safety conditions at the mine was available at the time of publication.