14 miners trapped in Colombian coal mine after blast

Family members gathered at the area after an underground explosion

Read more...

By AFP

Published: Wed 1 Jun 2022, 7:53 AM

Fourteen miners are trapped in a coal mine in northern Colombia after an underground explosion, the mayor of the town said on Tuesday.

A miner who was above ground at the time was injured by the explosion Monday afternoon, sustaining “burns all over his body,” according to mayor Manuel Pradilla of Zulia, near the Venezuelan border.

Advertising
Advertising

The man was in a stable condition in hospital.

“We are not losing hope, we hope that the 14 trapped people can be found alive,” Pradilla told Colombian TV.

Family members of the missing miners gathered at the site, many in tears, waiting for news from rescue workers searching for survivors.

The cause of the blast was as yet unknown.

ALSO READ:

Mining and crude oil represent Colombia’s main exports.

Latin America’s fourth-largest economy recorded 148 fatalities in mining accidents in 2021.

AFP

Published: Wed 1 Jun 2022, 7:53 AM

Recommended for you