Collected photo

BOGOTÁ, Sept 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Rescue crews in Colombia found the bodies of seven gold miners trapped underground for more than a week, officials said Sunday.

Teams with heavy equipment, firefighters and local residents made a frantic effort to reach the workers caught in the unlicensed mine in southwest Cauca department since September 12 after a cave-in.

Graciela Tovar, head of the local civil defense agency, said the bodies were found Saturday night in one of the tunnels in the mine.

It is believed the workers suffocated.

Cauca department is a stronghold of rebels who broke away from the FARC guerrilla army when it signed a peace accord with the government in 2016 after decades of fighting.

In this region miners operate unlicensed pits, often on orders from these guerrilla fighters who finance their operations with gold and cocaine trafficking.

Mining accidents are not uncommon in Colombia and they are often deadly, especially in coal mines.

Last year 124 people died in mining accidents in Colombia and as of July of this year the number of fatalities is 65, according to the National Mining Agency.