Fourteen dead in illegal Colombian gold mine collapse

As of October 20, 14 miners died and seven were injured when an illegal gold mine collapsed in the Chambero sector of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, a remote municipality in Colombia’s Nariño department. Search efforts have been halted due to difficult terrain and communication issues. The collapse occurred on Monday, October 19th, with Jorge Tovar Castillo, a disaster response official, confirming that at least six miners were initially killed. An additional 12 to 15 miners are reported missing following the accident. Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar stated that the mine was an informal operation lacking adequate safety measures, typical of many rural parts of Colombia where such accidents frequently occur.