Seven people have been killed in a gas explosion in an illegal coal mine in Colombia. Local authorities reported this on Friday.
The explosion was caused by a build-up of methane and happened on Thursday in the city of Sutatausa, in the center of the South American country.
Governor Jorge Emilio Rey Angel confirmed in a message on X that seven miners had died, after the death toll was adjusted to six earlier on Friday. A miner would then still have been trapped underground. The first victim was recovered shortly after the explosion.
Explosions due to gas build-up in mine tunnels are becoming more common in Colombia, mainly because safety protocols are not adhered to. In May, two other explosions killed thirteen miners.