Nine workers die in Colombia coal mine explosion

Published 05 May, 2026 11:11am 1 min read

A coal mine explosion in ​Colombia’s Cundinamarca province killed nine workers and ‌left six others injured, the national mining agency said on Monday, several weeks after it issued risk control ​recommendations for the site.

The blast occurred at ​the La Ciscuda mine, operated by Carbonera ⁠Los Pinos.

The company could not immediately be ​reached for comment.

The mining agency said the accident ​seemed to be caused by a build-up of gases, and that it had recommended that the mine strengthen ​its safety measures during a site visit on ​April 9 in which it had identified gases, including methane, ‌that ⁠it said could become dangerous.

“As the ANM has warned during its inspection visits, coal deposits can present accumulations of gases such as methane, ​as well as ​concentrations of ⁠coal dust,” the agency said in a statement.

The six workers who ​survived were taken to a regional hospital ​for ⁠treatment.

Serious accidents are common at open-pit and subterranean coal and gold mines in Colombia, mostly at ⁠illegal ​or informal operations and those ​without proper safety measures.

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