Armed-Group Risk Delays Colombia Mine Rescue

At least nine people died Monday when a landslide struck a gold mine in southwestern Colombia. Rescue teams couldn’t reach the remote site because of difficult terrain and security concerns linked to illegal armed groups. Authorities said an unknown number of workers remained trapped. Officials estimated about 30 people were working at the mine, and the death toll could rise.

The rescue effort

The collapse happened Monday morning in El Chambero, a rural community in Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, a municipality in Nariño department near Colombia’s Pacific coast. Alex González, Nariño’s secretary of peace and human rights, confirmed the preliminary death toll to Noticias Caracol.

Residents and emergency workers began searching for victims after the collapse. Firefighters and Civil Defense personnel joined them, while regional authorities coordinated assistance with the Colombian military. Rescue teams faced trouble reaching the mine, and authorities hadn’t confirmed how many people were affected.

Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office called for an urgent response and requested military aircraft to help rescue victims and transport injured people. It also urged authorities to activate nearby hospitals and consider sending the Benkos Biojó hospital ship, stationed in Guapi, to provide medical assistance.

The National Mining Agency said its specialized mining rescue team stood ready to help after learning of the emergency. Difficult access and public-order conditions, however, kept the team from reaching the site. The agency said it remained prepared to provide technical and operational support once security conditions allowed rescue teams to enter.

Security conditions at the site

The Ombudsman’s Office warned that illegal armed groups could put rescue workers at risk and called for safe access to the mine. The National Mining Agency also cited security conditions, along with difficult terrain, as reasons its specialists hadn’t arrived.

Four days before the landslide, Colombian military forces reported an operation in Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé involving members of a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla group. Two minors were recovered, two adults surrendered, and weapons were seized, Caracol Radio reported.

Both the military operation and concerns about rescue access involved Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé. The Ombudsman’s Office specifically called for safe access for rescue workers, while the mining agency said public-order conditions kept its team from reaching the emergency site.

Unconfirmed details

The National Mining Agency said authorities had reported a landslide at a gold mine in the rural Bellavista area of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé. Its statement said officials hadn’t yet confirmed how many people were affected and that its rescue team stood ready to support operations when conditions permitted entry.

Local authorities haven’t established what caused the landslide or released a confirmed list of victims. The preliminary death toll remains at least nine. Officials estimate about 30 people were working at the mine, leaving the possibility of additional casualties unresolved.