Disasters & Incidents
Colombia mine collapse kills 13, official says
At least 13 people were killed and seven injured when a slope collapsed at an illegal gold mine in Colombia's southwestern Narino department, a local official said.
Fredy Gamez, a senior official in Narino, told Caracol Radio that the incident happened Wednesday night when a slope collapsed onto people because of activity taking place in the mine.
Local authorities ruled out a blast as the cause. A source from the Narino governor's office blamed improper extraction of ore, saying it had undermined the base of the mine.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by unstable earth at the site. Images posted on social media showed heavy equipment working on steep terrain.
Accidents at mines in Colombia are frequent, particularly at unregulated sites such as the one in Narino. The department, on the border with Ecuador, is an illegal mining hotspot where armed groups control the illegal gold trade and also engage in drug trafficking and extortion.
Update
Local authorities ruled out a blast as the cause of the mine collapse.
A source from the Narino governor's office blamed improper extraction of ore, saying it undermined the base of the mine.
The item adds context that Narino is an illegal mining hotspot where armed groups control the illegal gold trade and also engage in drug trafficking and extortion.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 16:09:04 UTC.
Update
A government source told AFP the landslide was triggered by an explosion inside the mine.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by dangerous instability of the earth at the site.
Images posted on social media showed heavy equipment working on steep terrain.
The source adds context that accidents are frequent at Colombian mines, particularly unregulated sites.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 13:26:48 UTC.
Update
The landslide was described as occurring in southwestern Colombia.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 13:03:19 UTC.
Update
Seven people were injured in the landslide.
The landslide happened at an illegal gold mine in northwestern Colombia.
Narino department government secretary Fredy Gamez said the incident happened Wednesday night and involved a slope collapsing onto people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 12:56:02 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The exact cause of the slope collapse has not been independently established in the supplied material.
Source
AFP news report published on .