SAEDNEWS: The death toll from a landslide at an informal gold mine in a rural area of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, in Colombia’s southwestern Narino department, has risen to 14, local officials said.
According to Saednews, The death toll has reached 14, according to Gabriel Ocana, administrative director of disaster risk management at the Narino governor’s office. Thirteen victims have been taken to the town center of Iscuande, while another was transported to Guapi.
The landslide, which injured seven people, occurred on Monday morning following heavy rainfall, according to reports cited by Xinhua News Agency.
Informal and unregulated mining is widespread in rural areas of Colombia. In August, a similar mining accident killed 13 workers and injured seven others in Policarpa, another town in Narino.
Colombia’s National Mining Agency (ANM) said its technical team had faced delays in reaching the disaster site due to difficult access and security concerns in the area.
“The ANM remains technically and operationally prepared to support emergency response efforts once the necessary security conditions are established for rescue teams to access the site,” the agency said.
