AT LEAST nine workers have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in Colombia – just weeks after inspectors raised safety concerns.
Another six miners were rescued from the shafts after emergency services rushed to the scene in Sutatausa, about 45 miles north of the capital, Bogota.
Relatives mourn the death of nine miners after an explosion at a coal mine in Sutatausa, Colombia Credit: AFP
Colombia’s National Mining Agency (ANM) had warned the mine’s operators of a “potentially dangerous gas build-up” among a list of other recommendations after an inspection on April 9.
In a statement, it said: “As the ANM has warned during its inspection visits, coal deposits can present accumulations of gases such as methane, as well as concentrations of coal dust.”
The agency has now said that a build-up of gases was thought to have caused the explosion at 4pm (9pm GMT) on Monday.
Six survivors from the blast were rushed to regional hospital, where they are receiving treatment.
Regional Governor Jorge Emilio Rey posted pictures of ambulances stationed at the mine entrance as rescue operations took place.
Rey had earlier shared that 15 miners were trapped at the blast site and that three had managed to escape.
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