An illegal gold mine collapse in southwestern Colombia killed 14 people and injured seven on Monday, October 19, as authorities said rescue operations in the remote area had ended.
The collapse happened in the Chambero sector of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, in Nariño department. The mine was described as informal or illegal. Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar announced that search-and-rescue efforts had ended.
A separate disaster-response official said 12 to 15 miners had been reported missing. Available reports did not say what happened to them after the operation ended. The municipality is surrounded by dense rainforest.
It can be reached only by boat or small aircraft, making emergency access difficult. Escobar urged national authorities and mining agencies to speed up efforts to make small-scale and informal mining official. He said better standards could make the work safer.
The disaster came after another fatal mine accident in Nariño in August, when 13 people died in Policarpa. Officials have not publicly detailed what caused Monday’s collapse. The latest accounts confirm the number of deaths and injuries and the location, but leave the reported missing miners’ status uncertain.