Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured when an illegal gold mine collapsed in southwestern Colombia, infohub.kz reports.
Local authorities confirmed the tragedy. The Straits Times reported the news, citing NUR.KZ.
Luis Alfonso Escobar, governor of the Nariño department, said search-and-rescue operations had been completed. He urged the central government, the National Mining Agency and the Ministry of Mining and Energy to speed up the legalization of illegal and small-scale mining operations in order to improve working conditions and raise safety standards.
The publication noted that a similar tragedy occurred in the town of Policarpa several months ago, killing 13 people.
Unregulated mining is widespread in rural areas of Colombia. Such operations often lack the necessary safety infrastructure, leading to frequent fatal accidents.