Three coal miners kidnapped from Harnai coalfield

QUETTA: Three coal miners were abducted by armed men from Balochistan’s Harnai district on Wednesday, police said.

According to officials, the assailants surrounded a coal mine in the Zahri coalfield area and took three workers away at gunpoint to an undisclosed location.

The kidnapped miners were identified as Abdul Razzaq, Asmatullah and Hameedullah, officials said.

Search operation launched

Security personnel reached the area after receiving information about the incident, police said. The site was then cordoned off and a search operation was launched to recover the abducted miners.

Officials said no trace of the kidnappers had been found so far.

Authorities are investigating the incident, while no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The kidnapping took place in the Zahri coalfield area of Harnai, a district in Balochistan where coal mining activity is carried out.

Police said the miners were taken from the coal mine after the armed men sealed off the area around the site before carrying out the abduction.

Security forces continued their efforts to trace the kidnappers and recover the three workers, according to officials.

The incident was reported on Wednesday, and officials said an investigation was under way into the abduction of the miners from the Harnai coalfield.