11 Miners Continue to Remain Trapped in Colombian Illegal Gold Mine

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Colombian National Mining Agency announced that 11 people continue to remain trapped inside an illegal gold mine in the municipality of Neira, Caldas. It called upon all miners in the country to fully abide by safety protocols in order to avoid such mishaps.

The area has been experiencing torrential rains. Consequently, the 17-metre deep pit was flooded with nearly 3 cubic metres of water. The call for help was received on March 26^th, which was immediately attended to by the Mining Safety and Rescue Group, the official Fire Department, Civil Defense and local authorities.

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The rescue tasks were carried out with the installation of electric pumps towards extraction of water. In addition, the Caldas Hydroelectric Power Plant was requested to make the necessary adjustments to leave 220V three-phase current so as to ensure efficient pumping operations. The tour of the area revealed that 4 mine mouths were flooded, to the south of the main well and two to the north.

Luis Carlos Velásquez, Caldas’ governor, in a statement, noted that the administration fully stands by the miners’ families during this emergency in Neira’s El Bosque community. Furthermore, he assured the administration’s full support to the search and rescue efforts.