Explosion at coal mine in Colombia kills nine

Rescue team at the Los Cedros coal mine in Colombia. (Image courtesy of the National Mining Agency).

The bodies of nine miners have been recovered from a coal mine in Colombia where an explosion took place on July 31, 2020.

According to the National Mining Agency, the blast at the Los Cedros mine in the El Zulia municipality of the Norte de Santander department was caused by the accumulation of gases in the pit.

Three engineers and two mechanics from the Agency together with a mine rescue team of 12 people worked around the clock since Friday to release the accumulated gasses and drain a water well. This allowed them to retrieve the bodies.

According to the mining body, the underground operation was not fully licensed. Thus, the National Prosecutor's Office will start an investigation.