Fourteen people are dead and seven injured after a landslide swallowed an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia on Monday. Narino’s Peace and Security Secretary Alex Gonzalez confirmed the final toll to the Caracol network, declaring the search for survivors over. The tragedy unfolded in Narino, a border region with Ecuador long plagued by illicit mining and drug trafficking.
Videos circulating on social media showed a grim scene: people and a backhoe dragging bodies from the collapsed site to a canoe on a nearby river. Rescue teams faced significant obstacles, the governor's office noted, citing the rugged terrain and the active presence of criminal groups. These armed factions control the clandestine gold trade in the area, alongside drug trafficking and extortion.
The mine’s location in an unregulated zone highlights a deadly economic reality for many in the region. A source from the governor's office told AFP that traditional small-scale mining has largely vanished, leaving communities with “no other economic alternatives than these extremely risky activities.” Locals in the affected municipality have also reported selective killings by armed groups, often on suspicion of collaboration with security forces or rival organizations.
Mine accidents in Colombia are frequent, particularly at unregulated sites where safety standards are non-existent. The Narino disaster is the latest in a series of tragedies linked to the illegal mining boom. Authorities are expected to investigate the safety violations and the role of armed groups in the area's volatile security landscape.