At the Choa Saidan Shah coal mine, workers dig coal with pickaxes, break it up, and load it onto donkeys to be transported to the surface. The mine is in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and richest province, but most of the miners come the poorer region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to the northwest. Employed by private contractors, the miners work in teams of four, with each team earning about $10 a day to be divided among them. (Photos by Sara Farid, Reuters)
Coal Mining In Pakistan's Punjab Province
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A miner wipes sweat from his forehead inside a coal mine.
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Zamurud Khan breaks coal with a pickax.
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Donkeys stand at the entrance of a coal mine.
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A miner unloads sacks of coal carried to the surface by donkeys.
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This hilly landscape contains deep coal reserves.
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Mohammad Ismail, 25, strikes at the coal face.
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Miners take a water break.
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Miners rest in an underground room at the end of a workday.
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Samiullah, who says he is 14 years old, washes dishes outside the mine.
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A miner washes after finishing his shift.
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Miners watch television during a break.
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A miner plays cricket in the evening after the day's work is done.