Fourteen dead after illegal gold mine collapse in Colombia

The collapse of an unregulated gold mine in the Chambero sector of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, a municipality in the Narino department of southwestern Colombia, killed 14 people and left seven injured, officials said on Monday. Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar confirmed that rescue teams have finished their search and rescue work. Disaster‑response officer Jorge Tovar Castillo added that another 12 to 15 miners are still missing, and that municipal authorities are handling the response despite communication challenges.

Santa Barbara de Iscuande is surrounded by dense rainforest and can only be accessed by boat or small aircraft. In a post on X, Governor Escobar described the operation as an “informal” mine, noting that informal and unregulated mining is common in Colombia’s rural areas and often lacks proper safety measures, leading to frequent deadly accidents. He wrote, “At this moment our priority is to save lives, accompany families and guarantee an opportune response to this painful tragedy.”

The tragedy follows a similar incident in August, when 13 people died in a mining accident in the municipality of Policarpa, also located in Narino.