All 43 miners in a colliery in Quetta that was hit by a blast at the weekend have been confirmed dead on Tuesday, as rescuers ended their search operation.

"All 43 bodies have been recovered," said Iftikhar Ahmed, chief inspector of mines.

"There are no survivors and the mine is being sealed," Ahmed said.

The mine in the far-flung Sorange district of Quetta was poorly ventilated, allowing poisonous gases to accumulate and trigger blasts that led to a collapse on Sunday.

The mine is run by the state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation and officials said they will launch an investigation into why the warnings to stop mining were not heeded.