A landslide at an illegal gold mine in southwestern Colombia has killed 14 people and injured seven others, regional authorities confirmed, as search and rescue operations drew to a close.
The disaster occurred in the rural Chambero sector of Santa Barbara de Iscuande municipality, in the coastal province of Narino bordering Ecuador.
Narino's Peace and Security Secretary Alex Gonzalez confirmed the revised death toll to the Caracol network, noting that efforts to find further survivors had concluded.
Video footage shared across social media networks showed local residents and a backhoe evacuating bodies from the collapsed mine onto a wooden canoe along an adjacent river.
Safety hazards
Emergency response teams faced severe impediments reaching the remote disaster site due to rugged geographical terrain and the active presence of illegal armed organisations, the governor's office said.
Narino represents an established hub for illicit mining, where armed groups exert control over the clandestine gold trade alongside narcotics trafficking and extortion rackets.
Residents in Santa Barbara de Iscuande have reported targeted killings by armed gangs over suspicions of stealing gold or collaborating with state security forces and rival factions.
Mining accidents remain frequent across rural Colombia, where unregulated operations consistently lack basic structural reinforcement and emergency safety infrastructure.
The tragedy follows a similar collapse in August in the Narino town of Policarpa, which claimed 13 lives.
