Trending 
Four miners suffocated to death this week while digging for gemstones in northern Afghanistan, a local official said on Saturday.
Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesman for Badakhshan police, told AFP that the incident occurred on Friday in Khash District.
He explained that the workers had been searching for precious stones underground and died from fumes emitted by a stone-crushing machine.
According to the United States and the United Nations assessments, Afghanistan’s mining sector includes marble, minerals, gold, precious stones, and coal, with additional resources such as copper and lithium estimated to be worth trillions of dollars.
Fatal accidents are common in the country, where miners often work without proper equipment or safety gear.
In July 2025, six miners were killed, and 18 were injured in a coal mine collapse in Baghlan province.
