At least twelve miners remained trapped late Monday after an explosion caused by a buildup of gases ripped through a coal mine in Sutatausa, Colombia, Cundinamarca Governor Jorge Emilio Rey said in a statement on the social media platform X. Fifteen workers were inside the mine when the blast occurred Monday afternoon, the governor said, but three managed to escape on their own. One of the survivors was taken to a hospital.
The mine is roughly 46 miles (74 kilometers) outside the capital, Bogotá, and sits at an elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 meters). Rescue teams and ambulances reached the site Monday evening, but officials did not immediately provide details on the condition of the trapped miners or the progress of the rescue efforts.
Mining accidents are common in central Colombia, where dozens of small operators extract coal and emeralds, often with limited safety infrastructure. In 2023, an explosion at another coal mine in the same municipality killed 11 miners. A 2020 accident in Cucunuba, also in Cundinamarca province, left an additional 11 workers dead.