This weekend, in the department of Boyacá a new mining tragedy was presented that today mourns the country.
The municipality of Tasco today mourns 12 miners who were trapped after an explosion at the La Chapa coal mine, in the Hormezaque district of the municipality, which occurred around 5 pm on Saturday. In addition, there are three missing.
(Also: Video: this was the massive robbery in an exclusive hotel in El Poblado, Medellín).
These miners had started work at 11 in the morning and their working hours were supposed to end at 6 in the afternoon. The tragedy happened a few minutes before the end of his shift.
According to information from the National Mining Agency (ANM), the explosion, which was underground, was caused by an accumulation of methane and, possibly, coal dust.
Initially, on Saturday night, when the search and rescue efforts began, six dead and nine missing were reported.
(Also read: National rejection of Eln attacks committed during this week).
We deeply regret the death of the 10 miners in the accident that occurred at the ‘La Chapa’ mine, located in the municipality of Tasco, #boyaca. Search efforts continue to rescue the 5 people who are still trapped.
– Ivan Duke 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) February 27, 2022
However, as the search progressed, it was eventually reported that 12 of the 15 people working at the site died. It was expected on Sunday night to continue with the rescues and, if it is the case, to do it this Monday.
The bodies were handed over to the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) to carry out the identification of the victims, and it is expected that during the day they will be handed over to their families to be buried.
(You may be interested: Hundreds of Colombians went out to march against abortion).
The families of the victims are being supported and receiving social accompaniment from the local authorities, as well as from members of the Red Cross.
The search efforts have been complex, according to the authorities, since there was a high concentration of methane and due to the explosion there was a risk that the infrastructure would collapse, so the work had to be very careful.
Regarding the mine, which is regulated, the license belongs to Acerías Paz del Río, but it was being exploited by a third party.
The tragedy occurred in Tasco, Boyacá. 15 miners were trapped.
The fact was lamented by both regional and national authorities.
The Governor of Boyacá, Ramiro Barragán, assured, for his part, that he is “moved” by this tragedy and sent a message to the families of the 15 victims.
“A lot of strength to the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy”.
This is not the first tragedy that has occurred so far this year, nor is it the first in Boyacá. In fact, it is the department hardest hit by these situationsaccording to official records.
(In other news: The man who murdered Nickol Valentina is in prison for stealing his cell phone).
19 emergencies and 36 dead miners are recorded during 2022
According to the Ministry of Mines, During 2022 there have been 19 mining emergencies similar to the one that happened on Saturday in Tasco, of which 11 occurred in Boyacá and eight in other departments.
The balance of victims due to these situations amounts to 36 miners, of which 28 are from Boyacá. The figure grew considerably due to the events that occurred on Sunday afternoon.
A lot of strength to the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy
One of the latest tragedies of this type occurred on Friday, February 4, when an explosion inside a mine located in the municipality of Samacá, in Boyacá, left five people dead.
Figures from the National Mining Agency indicate that in 2021 there were 26 mining accidents in Boyacáwhich left 52 people dead.
These data show a decrease compared to 2020, when there were 56 incidents in mines, which caused 47 people to lose their lives.
(Keep reading: The nightmare of the Iraqi family that arrived in Colombia deceived).
As for the balance at the national level, data from the same entity indicate that there were 153 incidents last year, which left a balance of 171 fatalities.
This was one of the highest figures of the last decade, since it is only surpassed by 2010, the year in which 84 accidents were recorded, but left 173 dead.
More news
-98% of Colombians have access to at least one 4G network
-‘The Colombian Putin is Petro’: Federico Gutiérrez
-The stories of victims of sexual violence who knocked on the door of JEP
