14 dead, 7 injured in Colombia illegal gold mine collapse

BOGOTA, Oct 19 - 14 people were killed and 7 others injured following the collapse of an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia, local authorities said on Monday.The accident took place in the rural Chambero sector of the Santa Barbara de Iscuande municipality, located in the province of Nariño.Search and rescue operations have concluded, Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar said.The governor called on the national government, the National Mining Agency, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to accelerate the formalization process for illegal and small-scale miners to improve working conditions and safety standards.In August, 13 people died in a similar mining accident in the town of Policarpa, also in Nariño.Informal and unregulated mining is common in rural parts of Colombia, where operations often lack adequate safety infrastructure, leading to frequent fatal accidents. REUTERS