Gold mine collapse in Venezuela kills at least 12 people

Heavy rain caused water to overflow into the gold mine. The prospectors inside the mine were trapped and suffocated.

Local Security Secretary General Edgar Colina Reyes told AFP that the group of illegal miners "entered a mine that has been closed for a long time". Mr. Reyes said, "the mine was flooded by rain" since May 31, causing the mine to collapse and these people could not get out.

Five bodies were found on June 1 and seven more on June 6, Reyes added.

Mr Reyes told Reuters that 112 people survived the gold mine collapse and that local authorities returned to the scene on Sunday to check on further casualties or survivors. He said, 12 bodies have been returned to the family.

The southern region of Venezuela is full of legal and illegal mining activities and accidents are common.

Located in southeastern Venezuela, El Callao has been a center of gold mining since the precious metal was first discovered there in 1853. After the first gold rush in the late 19th century and a resurgence Second gold mining operation in the 1970s, most of the mines were closed, although criminal gangs continued to carry out illegal gold mining activities and locals frequently tried fortune in the long abandoned tunnels.

A similar mine collapse in 2021 left one person dead, 34 others trapped and later rescued.

According to vtv.vn