Rescue groups labored continuous for greater than 30 hours to search out survivors and retrieve our bodies from collapsed Sutatausa city mine hit by methane gasoline explosion, officers say.
(AP Archive)
Rescue operation at a coal mine in central Colombia that collapsed earlier this week has ended, and officers stated the accident had left 21 staff useless.
“Sadly, 21 people lost their lives in this tragic accident in Sutatausa,” a municipality in Cundinamarca division, the Colombian chief Gustavo Petro wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Cundinamarca Governor Nicolas Garcia additionally introduced the search was over, writing on Twitter that “unfortunately, there is no longer anyone alive. We are heartbroken.”
The mine close to the city of Sutatausa collapsed late on Tuesday following an explosion that blocked a number of of its entrances.
Rescue groups labored continuous for greater than 30 hours to search out survivors and retrieve our bodies.
Garcia stated 9 staff survived the accident and had been launched from hospital, whereas the kinfolk of miners who had been killed had been receiving psychological help.
Officials stated the entire staff who had been on the mine on the time of the accident had been accounted for.
Colombian Minister of Mines Irene Velez stated on Thursday that the explosion was brought on by methane contained in the mine.
She stated the advanced would stay closed till officers examine how the explosion occurred.
READ MORE: Colombia races in opposition to time to rescue trapped miners after blast kills 11
Prone to mining accidents
Oil and coal are the principle exports of Colombia, the place mining accidents are frequent, particularly at unlawful digs in Cundinamarca and different departments within the nation’s centre and northeast.
According to official information, Colombia registered greater than 1,260 mining accidents from 2011 to May 2022, for a mean annual toll of 103 deaths.
At least 130,000 individuals make a authorized residing from mining in Colombia.
Mining is an important supply of labor in Sutatausa and surrounding areas as salaries are typically larger than the minimal wage of simply over the equal of $200 a month.
Last yr 117 accidents had been registered at mines all through the nation by the National Mining Agency, which says that 146 staff had been killed in these incidents.
Unions constantly denounce poor working circumstances, with an absence of protecting gear and lengthy working hours.
Source: TRTWorld and companies
Source: www.trtworld.com
