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10:30, 25-Jun-2017
At least 11 killed in Colombia coal mine blast
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At least 11 people were killed and two others are missing after an explosion ripped through an illegal coal mine in central Colombia on Friday, the government said in a statement on Saturday.
The last three bodies have been located and will be retrieved to be handed over to the relevant authorities, the the government said, adding that the death toll has risen to 11, with one injured and two still trapped.
The national mining agency said on Twitter that a total of 14 people were affected.
People wait for news of their missing relatives after an explosion at an underground coal mine on Friday, in Cucunuba, Colombia June 24, 2017./ VCG Photo
People wait for news of their missing relatives after an explosion at an underground coal mine on Friday, in Cucunuba, Colombia June 24, 2017./ VCG Photo
The incident occurred at around 4:40 p.m. local time (2140 GMT) at a coal mine in Cucunuba, central Colombia's Cundinamarca. An "accumulation of methane gas" could have been behind the blast, the governor of Cundinamarca has said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in a tweet that the Risk Management Unit and the National Mine Agency were attending the rescue work. From France, where he is on an official visit, Santos lamented the accident and expressed solidarity with the victims.
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