Afghan media reported that eight workers from Afghanistan died in a gas explosion at a mine in the Ayni district of the Sughd region.

This was reported by the Afghan news portal Ettilaatroz, citing the authorities of Daikundi province, from where the deceased originated.

According to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority, five of the deceased were residents of the Shahristan district, two were from Miramur, and one was from Eshtarl.

At the time of the incident, they were directly in the mine.

Afghan media report that on May 10, their bodies were secretly sent back home, and the government of Tajikistan was not officially notified about this; no official procedure for the transfer of the bodies was conducted either.

According to Afghan media, the explosion occurred due to the accumulation and ignition of gas, presumably methane, inside the mine. However, the authorities of Tajikistan, including the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan, have not yet commented on the incident.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Sughd region informed Radio Ozodi that an investigation has been initiated, and the results will be made public after its completion.

It is noted that the deceased were young specialists who worked at the mine through a contractor that collaborated with a subsidiary of the “Faroz” company.

Although the “Faroz” company was officially liquidated several years ago, experts believe that it continues to operate secretly through subsidiary firms.

The “Faroz” company belongs to Shamsullo Sokhibov, the son-in-law of the president, husband of his fifth daughter Rukhshona Rahmonova, who serves as Tajikistan’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Afghan media accuse the contractor, whose name is unknown, of negligence in selecting specialists and regarding safety measures.

It is also reported that due to unemployment, Afghan youth are traveling to neighboring countries for work, where they are forced to engage in dangerous and hard labor, such as mining, without having the necessary skills and knowledge for it.

The main causes of such incidents are cited as the irresponsibility of technical engineers at enterprises, the inattentiveness of workers when performing tasks, non-compliance with safety regulations, and technological processes in mine development.

In total, in 2024, according to official data, 30 people died and another 26 were injured in 48 accidents at industrial and mining enterprises in Tajikistan.