By EFE
Colombian authorities confirmed the death of nine of the 15 miners who had been trapped on Monday by the explosion of a coal mine in the municipality of Sutatausa, in the department of Cundinamarca (center), while the other six were rescued alive.
“The National Mining Agency (ANM) informs the public that, after the emergency registered in the municipality of Sutatausa, in the La Ciscuda mine, operated by Carbonera Los Pinos SAS, the death of nine people is confirmed,” said that entity.
According to the ANM, the tragedy, caused “by an explosion inside the mine, left a total of 15 workers affected,” six of whom were rescued alive and transferred to the regional sanatorium in the neighboring town of Ubaté, where they receive medical attention.
Details of the tragic explosion
The governor of Cundinamarca, Jorge Emilio Rey, said that the miners were working at a depth of about 600 meters when the explosion occurred on Monday afternoon, and that three of the six survivors managed to get out on their own.
The explosion occurred “apparently due to the accumulation of gases” in the gallery where the workers were.
The Mayor’s Office of Sutatausa, a town located about two hours north of Bogotá, identified the nine deceased as Crisanto Balanta, Osvaldo Barrera Mojica, Fredy Albeiro Bucuru Acosta, Blas Maria Chitiva, José Mojica Martínez, Carlos Prada Fuentes, Wilmer Yesid Prada, Eduar Trochez and Rodolfo Romero.
Warning issued prior to explosion
The ANM indicated in a statement that this mine had been the subject of “a technical visit on April 9” during which “recommendations aimed at strengthening safety conditions” to avoid “dangerous accumulations” of gases, especially methane.
“As the ANM has warned in its inspection visits, coal deposits can present accumulation of gases, such as methane, as well as concentrations of coal dust, which requires the implementation of adequate ventilation systems and permanent controls to mitigate risks within mining operations,” he indicated.
Previous explosion in Cundinamarca
On February 7, authorities rescued the bodies of six people who died in an explosion in a mine in the municipality of Guachetá, also in Cundinamarca.
The area where these two accidents occurred is one of the regions with the greatest mining tradition in Colombia, especially in the extraction of coal and emeralds, an activity that for decades has been the economic axis of numerous municipalities.
However, this vocation has also been marked by recurring accidents in underground mines, mostly associated with gas accumulation, deficiencies in ventilation and exploitation in high-risk conditions.
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