An explosion at a coal mine in central Colombia has left at least ten people dead and five missing, authorities say.
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“We mourn the death of 10 miners in the accident at the La Chapa mine“, in the locality of Tasco, in the department of Boyaca (center), Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Sunday February 27 on Twitter. “Rescue operations continue to try to rescue the 5 people who are still stranded“, he added. The explosion took place on Saturday afternoon in this mine.managed by the company Ingecolmaq SAS“Said in a press release the National Mining Agency (ANM) which sent around forty rescuers on site. “The group of rescuers installed a ventilation duct to improve the underground conditions (….) due to the high concentrations of methane“, according to the same source, adding that “cave-ins could complicate rescue operations“.
The department of Boyaca has significant reserves of coal and emeralds. It is the country most affected by mining accidents, according to the ANM. In 2021, 130 people lost their lives in mining accidents in the country, 60% of them in illegal mines.