Fourteen people have died and seven were injured in an illegal open-pit gold mine collapse in southwestern Colombia. The incident occurred in the rural area of Cembero, in the municipality of Santa Bárbara de Iscuande in Nariño department, local authorities said. A landslide buried the miners who were extracting gold.
“At this point, we know of 14 deaths. There are also seven injuries. Search operations have already ended“, Alex Gonzalez, secretary for peace and human rights in Nariño, told the Caracol television channel. Authorities had previously reported nine deaths, but the toll has risen as rescue efforts have concluded.
The incident occurred in an illegal open-pit mine
Gonzalez said the site was an illegal open-pit mine operating without the necessary permits. Rescue teams have finished searching for people trapped, and the confirmed number of injured is seven. Details of their condition were not provided in the initial report.
The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the dangers of unregulated mining in Nariño. In August, a similar incident at an illegal gold mine in the municipality of Policarpa killed 13 people and injured seven.
Sources: apnews.com, noticiascaracol.com, cnnbrasil.com.br