Venezuelan officials have confirmed the deaths of 12 mine workers and 112 survivors after a gold mine collapse 31 May in El Callao, Bolivar.
Per reports in the Daily Mail and Reuters, the mine flooded due to heavy rains, but also that those rains kept rescuers from being able to enter the workings until 3 June. Victims’ bodies were returned to families the following day, when rescue efforts continued and are reportedly still ongoing.
Bolivar Security Secretary General Edgar Colina said some workers were still inside over the weekend in the 2,624-foot-deep operation.
“Due to heavy rainfall that occurred in the municipality, artisanal miners who were working there died of respiratory failure,” he added.
Talavera, which is said to be an informal mine with a rudimentary design, is located in the so-called Orinoco Mining Arc. An investigation in the region last year by the United Nations reportedly found human right violations and criminal activities such as child labor, human trafficking and forced prostitution, per the Reuters report.
Sources: Heavy rains to blame for deadly gold mine collapse in Venezuela that killed 12 workers (msn.com) and Mine collapse kills at least 12 in southern Venezuela | Reuters