The explosion took place in a rural area of Sutatausa, about 75km north of Bogota, due to the accumulation of gas in six adjoining coal mines, and the firefighters and other rescue workers are working at the mine entrances
Colombia coal mine explosion. (Credit: Nejc Soklič on Unsplash)
A coal mine explosion in central Colombia has killed at least 11 workers and left 10 additional mining workers trapped underground.
The explosion took place in a rural area of Sutatausa, about 75km north of Bogota, due to the accumulation of gas in six adjoining coal mines, reported Reuters.
Firefighters and other rescue workers are working at the mine entrances, as relatives of the trapped mine workers are waiting to know information about them, reported Aljazeera.
Two people had already been rescued and seven people escaped unaided.
Cundinamarca provincial governor Nicola Garcia told journalists: “People are trapped between 700 and 900 meters, and more than 100 rescue workers had joined the search.”
President Gustavo Petro said on Twitter: “We are making every effort with the government of Cundinamarca to rescue the people who are trapped alive. A hug of solidarity for the victims and their families.”
The mines were authorised to operate, and serious accidents are common at the open pit and subterranean coal and gold mines in Colombia, reported Reuters.
Last year, an explosion at the La Mestiza coal mine in Colombia killed nine miners and six others trapped underground, as per the country’s National Mining Agency (ANM).
The mine is located near the town of El Zulia in the northeastern part of Colombia.
The explosion was caused due to accumulation of gas that caught fire and led to the subsequent collapse of a tunnel.
Nearly 70 search and rescue personnel, from ANM, the local and regional police, the Red Cross, along with the army, were deployed at the La Mestiza coal mine site.