Colombia completes mine recovery
Thirty-one bodies are retrieved after mine explosion and a two-day rescue effort.
Published On 5 Feb 2007
One miner was rescued alive but later died in a local hospital, bringing the death toll to 32.
Services held
Services for the fallen miners were held on Monday.
Alberto Gomez, mayor of the neighbouring village of El Zulia, said: “This has had a terrible impact on the community, very painful.”
Some of the victims were residents of El Zulia.
Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian president, ordered an investigation into the explosion at the small, privately owned mine producing coal for domestic consumption.
A similar coal mine explosion in 2001 killed 15 local miners.
The region also sees frequent fighting by armed groups seeking control of cocaine-smuggling routes from the province into neighbouring Venezuela.
Source: News Agencies