Following an explosion in a coal mine in central Colombia, the governor of the Cundinamarca department reported on Wednesday that at least 11 people had killed and ten more were still trapped.
According to Governor Nicolas Garcia on Blu Radio, the incident in the municipality of Sutatausa happened as a result of a buildup of gases that detonated following a spark from a worker’s equipment.
The explosion took place late Tuesday night at a network of connected legal mines.
Images from the local media showed firefighters and rescuers at the mine gates, where a few family members were waiting for news on their loved ones.
The miners were 900 meters (2,950 feet) underground, making it challenging for the more than 100 rescuers engaged in the hunt to reach them, according to Garcia.
“Every minute that passes means less oxygen,” he said.
Colombia, where mining accidents are common, exports mostly coal and oil.
In the central Cundinamarca department, nine miners were extricated from a collapsing illegal coal mine in August.
The fourth-largest economy in Latin America saw 148 fatal mining accidents in 2021.
