At least 11 miners have been killed after an explosion at a coal mine in Sutatausa, Colombia, local authorities said Wednesday, which also reported 10 people missing and searches continuing.
The explosion took place in the El Cajón area on Tuesday night and hit mines in Hoyo, Lucero and Esperanza, in Sutatausa, where dozens of people were working in several underground galleries.
Coal mining in the Sutatausa mines, north of the Colombian capital Bogotá, is done manually, without the use of mechanical means.
The causes of the explosion are not yet known.
Rescuers from the National Mines Agency, firefighters, members of the Red Cross, Civil Defense and other organizations are “continuing rescue work” at the site, according to local authorities.
In the Colombian department of Cundinamarca, where the Sutatausa and Boyaca mines are located, there are hundreds of coal mines where thousands of miners work.
Safety conditions are not always adequate, which is why there are frequent fatal accidents.
Source: DN
