A powerful explosion at a coal mine in central Colombia that hit four other mines connected by tunnels has killed at least 11 people and left others missing, the government said on Wednesday.
President Gustavo Petro said on his Twitter account that rescuers were making every effort to reach the trapped miners.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday night in the municipality of Sutatausa, in the province of Cundinamarca.
Cundinamarca governor Nicolás García Bustos initially reported four deaths with two people recovered alive and 17 still trapped in the mine.
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An explosion at a Colombian coal mine killed 11 people on Tuesday night. Police are still looking for survivors.
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Álvaro Farfán, captain of the Cundinamarca fire brigade, told local media that the explosion hit five mines interconnected by tunnels, generating a “chain” explosion.
Petro later increased the death toll to 11, but did not say how many miners were still trapped.
Farfán said the initial assumption is that the explosion was caused by a buildup of gas.
Explosions, landslides and other emergencies are common in Colombian coal mines.
