Illegal gold mine collapse in southwest Colombia kills at least 14

A gold mine collapsed on the morning of October 19 in a rural area of Iscuandé, in Colombia's southwestern Nariño province, according to El Colombiano. The outlet described a landslide at the mine.

The Hindu described the site as an open-pit gold mine in a remote part of the province. CNN Brasil and Al Jazeera reported that the mine was illegal.

Initial coverage on October 19 put the death toll at at least six miners, citing authorities, according to The Hindu.

A separate provisional account published that day by RT en Español reported at least nine deaths and 30 people trapped. That figure was an early account, not a confirmed current count of people still trapped.

Later October 19 coverage from CNN Brasil, citing local authorities, put the toll at at least 14 dead and seven injured. Al Jazeera also reported 14 deaths and seven injuries.

On October 20, El Colombiano reported that four of the seven injured people were in serious condition. DIE ZEIT reported that the local governor had called for better working conditions for miners.

The latest coverage puts the death toll at at least 14, with seven people injured. The supplied reports do not establish whether anyone remains trapped or whether rescue operations have ended.

The collapse occurred in a province where illegal mining operates alongside other illicit businesses. According to NDTV, armed groups in Nariño, on the border with Ecuador, control the clandestine gold trade as well as trafficking drugs and engaging in extortion. That report does not establish who controlled this particular mine.

The immediate unresolved issues are the condition of the four seriously injured people and whether anyone remains unaccounted for. The supplied coverage also gives no details of measures to follow the governor's call for better working conditions, reported by DIE ZEIT.