Mine Collapse in Takhar Traps Ten Miners Below Ground as Rescue Teams Deploy

Taloqan, Afghanistan—A deep subterranean excavation tunnel collapsed without warning inside an informal gold mining operation in the Chah Ab district on Wednesday morning, trapping ten workers under metric tons of soil and loose rock. Emergency crews and local villagers rushed to the remote mountainous site to launch a manual excavation effort before underground air supplies ran out.

Provincial police officials confirmed that the group was working deep inside the main extraction shaft when structural support beams gave way under extreme geological pressure. The sudden cave-in blocked the primary access corridor, completely cutting off communication with the men stuck inside the lower chamber.

Artisanal miners operating neighboring shafts utilized pickaxes, shovels, and bare hands to move heavy stone rubble away from the collapsed shaft entrance. Heavy earth-moving equipment remains virtually non-existent in the isolated district, forcing rescue parties to rely entirely on basic hand tools and manual labor.

District authorities established a perimeter around the unstable excavation site to prevent additional soil slippage while workers attempted to clear a narrow ventilation line down into the cavern. The lack of reinforced timber supports inside informal regional mines continues to create extreme hazards for informal laborers working unregulated seams.

Medical personnel dispatched to the site brought oxygen cylinders and stretchers, establishing a temporary emergency field station near the dusty pit mouth. Family members of the trapped laborers gathered along the rocky slopes overlooking the mine entrance, waiting for updates as rescue teams worked in shifting teams.

Mining operations across northern provinces frequently operate without basic engineering oversight or formal safety equipment, relying on unsafe underground tunneling techniques to reach gold veins. Local officials noted that seasonal ground movement and soft sandstone formations significantly elevate collapse risks throughout the Chah Ab mountain corridor.

Rescuers reported encountering unstable rock faces inside the entry shaft, forcing workers to pause digging repeatedly to install crude wooden shoring. Darkness and narrow workspace constraints inside the tunnel have severely limited the number of individuals who can dig at the primary obstruction face simultaneously.

Volunteers continue clearing debris from the tunnel mouth as night falls over the remote mountain range. Local administrative representatives confirmed that rescue operations will proceed continuously until the subterranean chamber is breached and the condition of the ten workers is formally verified.