Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured following the collapse of an illegal open pit gold mine in southwestern Colombia's Nariño province. The death toll, which includes 12 women, rose after a landslide struck the unauthorized operation on Monday.
The mine is among a growing number of small-scale, unlicensed operations in Colombia that are fueled by the rising global price of the metal.
In Nariño, an illegal mining hotspot on the border with Ecuador, armed groups control the clandestine gold trade. These groups are also involved in trafficking drugs and engaging in extortion.