ISLAMABAD, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three workers died after inhaling poisonous gas inside a coal mine in Pakistan's southwest province of Balochistan, police said.

Local police officer Ghulam Ali said on Sunday that five miners who were working hundreds of meters deep inside a mine fell unconscious in Chamalang area of Dukki district of Balochistan.

"All the fainted miners were shifted to the nearby hospital where three of them were declared dead by doctors," said the police official.

A fellow coal miner told media that it took them five to six hours to shift the affected workers to the hospital, adding that the better and quick rescue work might save the lives.

According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labor Federation, over 100 workers die due to accidents in coal mines in the country every year.

At least 50 miners have died in Balochistan province during the first eight months of this year, said the federation, adding that at least 20,000 laborers are employed in 2,500 mines across Balochistan without proper safety facilities.