Explosion traps 12 in a Colombian coal mine
By Associated Press, May 5, 2026At least twelve miners are trapped inside a coal mine in central Colombia, officials said Monday night, following an explosion that authorities attributed to the accumulation of gases.
Jorge Emilio Rey, the governor of Colombia’s Cundinamarca province said on social platform X, that there were 15 miners inside the mine when the explosion occurred Monday afternoon, but added that three miners were able to escape from the mine “on their own.” One of them was taken to a hospital.
The mine is located in Sutatausa, a municipality about 46 miles (74 km) outside capital Bogota and 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level.
Rescue workers and ambulances arrived at the site Monday to help the trapped miners.
Mining accidents are common in central Colombia, where dozens of small operators run coal and emerald mines.
In 2023, 11 miners were killed by an explosion at another coal mine in Sutatausa. In 2020, 11 miners died during a mining accident in Cucunuba, another municipality in Cundinamarca province.
Colombian coal mine blast kills 11
The incident comes years after a powerful explosion tore through a series of five coal mines interconnected by tunnels and ventilation systems in a rural area of central Colombia, killing at least 11 people and leaving 10 others missing, the government said Wednesday.
Nine other miners who got out of the complex after the blast were taken for medical examinations, and three were still being treated Wednesday evening, officials said.
President Gustavo Petro said on his Twitter account that rescuers were making every effort to reach the missing miners.
The blast, which was attributed to a build-up of methane gas, happened Tuesday night in Sutatausa, a municipality in Cundinamarca department about 75 miles (45 miles) from the capital, Bogota.
Álvaro Farfán, captain of the Cundinamarca fire department, told local media the explosion affected five mines interconnected by tunnels, generating a “chain” blast with a wide impact.
Petro said 11 miners had been confirmed dead. Energy and Mines Minister Irene Vélez said 10 people were unaccounted for.
Six bodies had been recovered by searchers, while five others had been sighted, said Javier Pava, director of the state-run National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.
Explosions and cave-ins are common in Colombia’s coal mines.