Narino Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar expressed grief over the loss of life, saying entire families had died in the incident
Illegal gold mine collapse: 14 died, 7 injured: At least 14 people died and seven injured after an illegal gold mine collapsed in southwestern Colombia, local authorities said on Monday. The accident occurred in the rural Chambero sector of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, a municipality in the Narino province.
Narino Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar expressed grief over the loss of life, saying entire families had died in the incident. Following the disaster, the governor urged the national government, the National Mining Agency and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to accelerate the formalisation of illegal and small scale mining operations to improve working conditions and safety standards.
Narino province is a remote location, surrounded by dense rainforest and accessible only by boat or small aircraft, poses challenges for aid workers reaching the area. The latest incident follows a similar disaster in August, when 13 people died in a mining accident in Policarpa, another town in Nariño province.
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Informal and unregulated mining is widespread in rural parts of Colombia, where many operations lack adequate safety infrastructure, leaving workers vulnerable to fatal accidents.
