Colombia: Nine Bodies Recovered From Mine

Emergency services have recovered nine bodies from a coal mine in the Antioquía province in the northeast of Colombia.

The miners had been trapped underground since Wednesday, when a local water deposit burst and flooded the mine.

While there was hope some miners would survive, it was extinguished today when the last body was brought to surface at about 5am local time.

“The rescue team recovered all nine dead bodies of the miners trapped in the coal mine El Desespero,” the government body for risk management reported.

The cause of the accident at the El Desespero (Despair) mine is still unknown.

The tragic event has sparked a dispute between local and national governments over the legality of the mine and whether it should have been operating at all.

“This mine had been closed last June because it didn’t comply with the [safety] standards,” said Mauricio Cárdenas, the minister for energy and mining. “It was clearly an illegal activity.”

Cárdenas said he blames the local authorities for letting the mine continue to operate, but did not say if they were going to press charges against mine owner Arnulfo Velásquez, who said he has all the right paperwork.

Investigations into the accident are ongoing, but authorities have announced the immediate closure of El Desespero.

“The conditions of the mine don’t fulfil the security regulations and we have taken the decision to close it until the owner can prove its legality,” Édgar Fabián Morales, director of the Miner Rescue group, announced at the site.

The funeral for the nine workers is to take place today near the mining site. Around 6,000 people, most of whom are involved in coal mining in the area, are expected to attend.

According to government figures, 45 people died in mining accidents in Colombia last year

09 March 2012

http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/newsfromlatinamerica/colombia-nine-bodies-recovered-from-mine/