Fourteen killed in collapse of illegal gold mine in Colombia's Nariño province

Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured when an illegal gold mine collapsed in southwestern Colombia, local authorities said on Monday. 1

The accident took place in the rural Chambero sector of the Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé municipality, in the province of Nariño, and search and rescue operations have concluded, Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar said. 1

Escobar called on the national government, the National Mining Agency and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to accelerate the formalisation process for illegal and small-scale miners to improve working conditions and safety standards. 1

In a message on X, Escobar described the mine as an “informal” operation, writing: “At this moment our priority is to save lives, accompany families and guarantee an opportune response to this painful tragedy.” 2

The site is surrounded by dense rainforest and can only be reached by boat or small aircraft. 2

Nariño’s Peace and Security Secretary Alex Gonzalez told the Caracol network that the search for survivors had ended, while a source in the governor’s office told AFP: “Communities have no other economic alternatives than these extremely risky activities. Traditional small-scale mining has practically disappeared.” 3

Nariño is an illegal mining hotspot on the Ecuador border where armed groups control the clandestine gold trade alongside drug trafficking and extortion, NDTV reported. 3

In August, 13 people died in a similar mining accident in the municipality of Policarpa, also in Nariño. 1