At least eight people were killed and five remain missing after an explosion at an illegal coal mine in Colombia.
A methane explosion is thought to have triggered the tragedy, and rescue crews are working round the clock to search for the missing.
The country’s President, Juan Manuel Santos, has expressed his solidarity with the victims as loved ones wait anxiously for news of those caught up in the explosion.
Yesterday’s tragedy happened in the town of Cucunuba in Cundinamarca state, which is around 55 miles north of Bogota.
One person was injured in the blast, which happened at around 9.30pm local time.
Colombia’s National Mining Agency said a rescue crew of 35 miners and seven engineers has been working ‘around-the-clock’ in a frantic search for the missing.
‘We are going to dig by hand throughout the night to try to rescue (the missing workers)’ said Wilson Garcia, director of the emergency response unit in Cundinamarca.
Officials said they do not know what caused the explosion, although El Universal reports that methane was to blame. The country has seen an increase in illegal mining in recent years.
President Juan Manuel Santos, who was wrapping up a visit to France, used Twitter to express his ‘solidarity with the victims’.
A total of 28 mining emergencies were reported in Colombia in the first five months of this year, leaving 23 dead and 33 injured, according to an NMA report. Sixty per cent of the accidents occurred in coal mines.
There were 114 mining emergencies last year, causing 124 deaths, the report said.
Colombian coal production hit a record 90 million tons last year, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Colombia, a major world supplier, provided more than 70 percent of US coal imports.
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