An explosion at the La Ciscuda coal mine, operated by Carbonera Los Pinos in Sutatausa, killed nine miners and injured six others. The incident occurred Monday afternoon in Cundinamarca province, about 50 miles north of Bogota. Of the 15 miners inside the mine when the blast occurred, three escaped on their own and six were rescued by emergency workers.
Authorities attributed the explosion to an accumulation of gases, including methane. Colombia’s National Agency for Mining stated that officials had inspected the mine in early April and recommended sealing off areas no longer used for extraction to control risks, though the agency did not specify if those recommendations were implemented.
Mining accidents are common in central Colombia, where dozens of small operators run coal and emerald mines. In 2023, an explosion at another coal mine in Sutatausa killed 11 miners, and in 2020, 11 miners died during a mining accident in Cucunuba, another municipality in Cundinamarca province.