The death toll in a coal mine collapse in southwest Pakistan has gone up to 45. Officials have announced that there were unlikely to be any survivors in the shaft that was hit by a series of blasts triggered by accumulated methane gas.The mine, operated by state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) at Sorang – located about 30 km from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province ‘ collapsed on Sunday following the blasts.Methane gas, accumulated in the mine as it was poorly ventilated, triggered several blasts that caused the collapse.Rescue work continued overnight but was hampered by lack of machinery. The work was also stopped briefly after some members of the emergency crew fell unconscious due to the gas.Balochistan, hit by an insurgency blamed on nationalist Baloch groups demanding a greater say in decision-making, has huge reserves of natural resources, including Pakistan's largest gas field.