At least 21 miners dead and nine injured after a coal mine exploded in Colombia trapping them 2,300ft below the ground

• Twenty one miners were killed in a coal mine blast Tuesday in Sutatausa, Colombia 
• Nine workers were injured and treated at hospitals, according to Cundinamarca Governor Nicolás Garcia 
• Officials said the blast was caused by accumulated gas, which cause a collapse and trapped the miners about 2,300 feet below ground between two mines 

Rescue operations at a coal mine in central Colombia that collapsed earlier this week ended Thursday and officials said the accident had left 21 workers dead.

The mine near the town of Sutatausa collapsed late Tuesday following an explosion that blocked several of its entrances. Rescue teams worked nonstop for more than 30 hours to find survivors and retrieve bodies.

Nicolás García, the governor of Cundinamarca province, said nine workers survived the accident and had been released from hospital, while the relatives of miners who were killed were receiving psychological support. 

Officials said all of the workers who were at the mine at the time of the accident had been accounted for.

The last 10 victims were removed from the mine around 12am Thursday.

Volunteers from the Colombian Civil Defense in coordination with relief agencies engage in the search and rescue work of miners trapped following the explosion of a mine in Sutatausa, Colombia, in this handout image released on March 15, 2023

Aerial view of the Colombian coal mine in the central town of Sutatausa where 21 workers were killed and nine were injured Tuesday night

Friends and relatives of miners embrace at the entrance of a coal mine in central Colombia where 21 workers were killed Tuesday 

Firefighters carry the body of one of the 21 miners who were killed in Tuesday night’s coal mine blast in Sutatausa, Colombia

Mining minister Irene Vélez said that the coal mine explosion was likely caused by accumulated gas. 

The blast trapped the workers 2,300 feet below ground between the Los Choco and El Hoyo mines.

‘At this moment, the hypothesis that is being handled is that there was indeed an accumulation of methane gas, which is highly flammable and that generated the explosion,’ Vélez said.

The mining ministry said all activity all of the mines has been temporarily suspended and that an investigation to establish the causes of the explosion will take place before a reopening can be considered. 

Some families complained that authorities were taking too much time to identify their loved ones, according to Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol.

Daniela Ospina said her father, Fernando Ospina, had not been identified as of Thursday.

‘(My father) was supposed to be the last one to be taken out of the mine, but they went to examine the body and it is not,’ she said. ‘My dad had a coworker, Cristian, and, apparently, he’s not Cristian either. We have the doubt if the bodies that they took out yesterday was my father.’

 Relatives of miners wait after an explosion at a coal mine in Sutatausa, Colombia, on Wednesday

Rescue workers gather after an explosion at a coal mine that according to authorities killed at least 11 people before the death toll was elevated to 21 on Thursday

Officials have said that the coal mine explosion was caused by gas that accumulated in the mine. The explosion trapped the workers about 2,300 feet below ground between two mines

Emergency workers set up a perimeter as rescue workers searched for potential survivors of a coal mine blast. The explosion killed 21 miners and injured nine

A man grieves outside a coal mine in Colombia after an explosion killed 21 workers and injured nine

Rescued efforts to search for survivors of the coal mine blast in central Colombia concluded Thursday. The explosion, which was likely caused by an accumulation of gas, caused the mine to collapse Tuesday evening. At least 21 workers have been confirmed dead and another nine were injured 

Miners ride on the back of a pick up after helping in rescue efforts after an explosion at a coal mine that according to authorities killed 21 people and injured nine in Sutatausa, Colombia

Volunteers from the Colombian Civil Defense in coordination with relief agencies engage in the search and rescue work of miners trapped following the explosion of a mine in Sutatausa, Colombia, in this handout image released on March 15, 2023

Mining accidents are common in Colombia, particularly in coal and gold mines. 

Last year 117 accidents were registered at mines throughout the country by the National Mining Agency, which says that 146 workers were killed in those incidents.

The deadliest recent accident was in June 2010, when 73 people were killed in a mine explosion the northwest. 

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