Death toll rises to two in Colombia mine blast
Rescuers in Colombia on Friday found the bodies of two workers killed after an explosion in an illegal coal mine, as the search continues for four others, also believed to be dead. A blast ripped through the mine on Thursday, trapping six people in Guacheta, in Colombia's Cundinamarca department, which surrounds the capital Bogota. A team of forensic investigators from the attorney general's office, police and firefighters removed the two bodies on stretchers, AFP reporters observed.
Outside the mine, located in a lush pine forest, relatives of the miners waited as rescue work continued, wrapped in ponchos to protect from the cold. Some miners were visibly shaken after the accident involving their colleagues. "Starting tomorrow, I'm not working in mining anymore...I've decided to quit and dedicate myself to another profession," miner Duvan Cardenas, 24, told AFP. The remaining four are believed to be dead from lack of oxygen, Governor Jorge Emilio Rey had previously told Radio Blu.
"The lifeless bodies of two of the six miners have been found," Rey said in an update on social media. Rescue efforts continued throughout the afternoon as teams used ventilation equipment to "disperse the accumulation of gases" in the mine shaft, Rey said. High levels of methane gas had impeded earlier rescue efforts.
"We worked all night" to try to rescue the miners, fire department official Alveiro Aguillon told AFP. Rey said that mine had been given "closure orders" from authorities, but continued to operate without the proper permits. Mining accidents in Colombia are frequent and often deadly, especially in illegal or artisanal mines.
