14 Dead, 7 Injured in Colombian Gold Mine Collapse
A collapse at an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia has resulted in 14 deaths and 7 injuries.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia, local authorities announced on Monday.
Reuters quoted local officials as saying the incident occurred in the Champero rural area of the municipality of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, in Nariño province in the southwest of the country.
Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar announced the end of search and rescue operations at the collapse site, urging the Colombian government, the National Mining Agency, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to accelerate the legalization of unlicensed mining and small-scale mining activities, with the aim of improving working conditions and enhancing safety standards.
The incident follows a similar collapse last August in the town of Policarpa, also located in Nariño province, which killed 13 people.
Unregulated and informal mining activities are widespread in rural areas of Colombia, where many sites lack adequate safety equipment, leading to repeated fatal accidents.
