20 dead after blast at coal mine in northeastern Colombia

[News_Editor]

20 dead after blast at coal mine in northeastern Colombia

2011-01-27 01:04:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

SARDINATA, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) -- An explosion killed at least twenty people and left six others injured in a coal mine in northeastern Colombia on Wednesday, Caracol Radio reported.

The explosion happened around 6.30 a.m. local time at the "La Preciosa" coal mine in the municipality of Sardinata in Santander Department. Authorities said that the accumulation of gas was the cause of the deadly blast.

Initial reports indicate that at least 30 workers were inside the coal mine when the explosion occurred. Rescue teams were able to recover five bodies while six miners were rescued alive but injured.

Sardinata mayor Yamile Rangel said that rescue efforts are still underway and thus no official death toll has been disclosed. Rescue teams from Sardinata and nearby Cucuta and Zulia were rushed to the site as other workers were trapped inside the mine.

However, Ingeominas official Marissa Fernandez later informed that the 15 miners trapped had died. Rescue teams are working in order to reach the chamber and recover the bodies. Ingeominas is the agency in charge of the mineral resources of Colombia.

Fernandez added that the Sardinata coal mine is one of the most advanced in the region and had the highest safety standards. The eight wounded miners were transported to a nearby Cucuta hospital.

This same coal mine registered a similar explosion four years ago, killing 31 miners. An accumulation of gas in a chamber was blamed as the cause of the disaster.

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