Torrential rains collapse Venezuelan gold mine killing 14

Efforts are nether mode to retrieve bodies from the shafts successful the southbound of the country, exigency officials said.

At slightest 14 radical person died aft torrential rainfall led to the illness of a Venezuelan golden mine.

The National Risk System announced connected Monday that it had launched betterment efforts astatine the excavation successful the confederate El Callao municipality, with bodies recovered successful 3 abstracted shafts.

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Venezuela has deposits of copper, diamonds and different precious minerals, but unsafe moving conditions are communal successful a poorly regulated industry.

A bid station had been acceptable up successful the municipality of El Callao, astir 850km (528 miles) southeast of the capital, Caracas, to coordinate operations, Bolivar state’s Operational Zones for Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis bureau said.

The deaths occurred successful 3 antithetic shafts of the Cuatro Esquinas de Caratal mine, the bureau said successful a statement, arsenic flooding caused the illness of the mine’s vertical shafts.

It said 2 miners managed to flight unharmed from 1 of the shafts, which was astir 100 metres (328 feet) deep.

“The archetypal signifier of the works is to pump retired each the shafts successful the assemblage to trim the h2o level, and past measure rescue efforts”, exigency officials said successful a station connected societal media.

The decease toll is based connected the grounds of the surviving miners, The Associated Press quality bureau reported, citing comments by section firefighters connected societal media.

A miner works astatine a golden excavation successful El Callao successful Venezuela’s Bolivar authorities successful April 2023 [File: Matias Delacroix/AP Photo]

Safety not guaranteed

El Callao has been a gold-mining hub since 1853, erstwhile the precious metallic was archetypal discovered there. Most of the city’s residents are straight oregon indirectly progressive successful the trade.

Venezuela’s mining assemblage is poorly regulated, with reports of unsafe moving conditions and wide exploitation.

In July 2020, the United Nations quality rights main astatine the time, Michelle Bachelet, accused Venezuelan authorities of failing to analyse crimes linked to the mining industry,

In a connection astatine the time, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the manufacture successful Venezuela operated by exploiting unskilled and sometimes barefoot workers, who were forced to “work 12-hour shifts, descending heavy pits without immoderate protection”.