At least 13 killed in landslide at unlicensed Colombian gold mine
A landslide at an unlicensed open-air gold mine in southern Colombia has killed at least 13 workers and injured seven others, with four victims from the same indigenous family.
At least 13 workers have died and seven more were injured after a landslide struck an unlicensed artisanal gold mine near Policarpa, in Colombia's southern Nariño province, local authorities reported.
Witnesses said they heard an explosion at the open-air mine on Wednesday afternoon shortly before workers underground became trapped. Emergency responders and local residents used diggers to help recover the bodies.
Indigenous community affected
According to residents, four of the 13 people killed belonged to the same indigenous family. Around 50 people regularly worked at the mine, most of them members of the Quillacinga indigenous group.
Fatal accidents are common at Colombia's unlicensed mines, which typically operate without official oversight or safety regulation. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people in Colombia work in artisanal mining, with many families depending on income from selling the precious metals and stones they extract.
