Rescuers search for miners trapped in illegal Colombian shaft

Rescuers work to reach around seven miners trapped in an illegal gold shaft that collapsed in southwest Colombia. The victims have been underground since Thursday night, September 12, after a landslide struck the conflict-ridden municipality of Santander de Quilichao in the Cauca department.

According to the head of the local disaster response office, the miners were trapped about 22 meters underground. A UN report said about 94,000 hectares of land in Colombia are being illegally mined in a process that pollutes natural water sources with mercury.