At least 13 people were killed and seven injured when an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia collapsed, a government official said Thursday.
"Due to the activity taking place in the mine, a slope collapsed onto the people," Fredy Gamez, a senior official in Narino department, told Caracol Radio about the incident, which took place Wednesday night.
Accidents at mines in Colombia, particularly in unregulated sites like the one in Narino, are frequent.
Explosions caused by built-up gases are common.
But local authorities ruled out a blast being the cause of the latest accident.
A source from the Narino governor's office blamed "improper extraction" of ore, saying it undermined the base of the mine.
Images of the mine posted on social media showed heavy equipment working on steep terrain. Rescue efforts were being hampered by the instability of the earth.
Narino department, on the border with Ecuador, is an illegal mining hotspot.
Armed groups control the illegal gold trade and also engage in drug trafficking and extortion.
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