BOGOTA, Sept 21, 2025 (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.