At least 15 people have been trapped underground when an unlicensed gold mine in western Colombia collapsed, authorities said, as rescue workers raced to reach them.
"A mine collapsed, apparently after flooding caused by the holes drilled to extract the mineral. At least 15 people are trapped," said Luis Pineros of emergency response agency UNGRD yesterday.
"We're in the middle of search and rescue operations," he told AFP, saying 50 rescue workers and medics were on the scene.
The accident happened on an indigenous reservation in the municipality of Riosucio.
Some of the miners are trapped at a depth of about 17 meters, others at about 10 meters, said the police commander for the department of Caldas, Luis Duarte.
The National Mining Agency (ANM) said local firefighters reported that gases in the deep, vertical tunnels likely contributed to the cave-in.
Business has boomed over the past decade for Colombia's illegal miners as the price of gold has risen from less than $400 per ounce to almost $1,200.
Colombia is a major gold producer, with output of more than 55,000 kilograms in 2013, according to government figures.
Last week, Colombian authorities arrested nearly 60 people in raids targeting illegal mining operations used to finance the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the leftist guerrilla group that has waged a five-decade war on the government.
The areas targeted were in the south and east of the country.
Mining revenues represented 2.3% of Colombia's national income in 2012, but more than half its mines are unregulated, according to official figures.
