Nine coal miners die in gas explosion in Colombia

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Nine coal miners die in gas explosion in Colombia 50 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Vanessa Buschschlüter Latin America online editor Luis ACOSTA / via Getty Images Relatives of the victims rushed to the mine in Sutatausa to try and help with the rescue efforts Nine people have died in an explosion at a coal mine in Colombia in the latest fatal accident to hit the country's mining sector. Emergency workers said they had rescued six miners from the shafts in Sutatausa, north of the capital, Bogotá. Colombia's national mining agency said a build-up of gases was thought to have caused the explosion at 16:00 (21:00 GMT) on Monday.

It also published a list of recommendations it said it had made to the mine's operators after an inspection less than a month ago, in which it had warned of a "potentially dangerous gas build-up". Many mines in Colombia are operated informally and without proper safety standards. The captain of the regional fire department, Álvaro Farfán, said emergency workers were still working to retrieve the miners' bodies.

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Those who survived are being treated in hospital. Mining accidents are common in Colombia. Last July, 18 workers were rescued from an unlicensed gold mine after having been trapped underground for 18 hours due to a mechanical failure.

One of the deadliest recent incidents also unfolded in Sutatausa in 2023, when 21 people died in a blast which tore through the tunnels of a complex of coal mines in the area. That explosion was caused by a build-up of methane gas, investigators said at the time. Sutatausa has been a coal-mining centre for decades with many of its residents working in the industry.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.