Guwahati: At least 14 miners were killed and seven others injured after an unlicensed open-pit gold mine collapsed in Colombia’s Nariño province on Monday, regional authorities said.
The collapse occurred near the remote town of Santa Barbara de Iscuande. Nariño’s provincial government said search operations ended on Monday night.
The government warned of the dangers associated with informal mining, noting that two mine collapses in Nariño in less than three months have killed 27 people.
“Entire families have been killed in this regrettable accident. It is very sad,” Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar said.
Santa Barbara de Iscuande is surrounded by dense rainforest and can be reached only by boat or small aircraft, making access difficult for emergency responders.
Hundreds of small mines across Colombia operate without government permits, and some are controlled by rebel groups. The remote town also faces security challenges, with two rebel groups reportedly operating in the area.
One of them is the Jacobo Arenas Block, led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who rejected the 2016 peace agreement with the Colombian government.
Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office urged armed groups in the area to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the town.
“All of our efforts must go towards protecting lives and tending to this emergency,” the office said in a statement on X.