Illegal Mine Disaster: Gold Mine Collapse in Colombia Kills 14, Leaves Seven Workers Trapped

Segovia, Colombia— An illegal gold mine collapsed in northern Colombia on October 20, killing 14 miners and injuring seven others after a makeshift tunnel gave way without warning.

The miners were working 60 meters underground in a narrow, hand-dug shaft near Segovia. The ground shook. Then it dropped. Dirt and rock sealed the only exit. Men on the surface heard screams. Then silence.

Local officials said the operation had no license, no engineering plans, and no safety supports. Wooden beams, not steel, held up the roof. The pit was dug into a hillside already weakened by weeks of rain. "This was not a mine," said a municipal risk officer. "It was a hole people kept digging until it killed them."

Rescue started with shovels. Families dug with their hands. Firefighters from Segovia and Remedios arrived hours later with pumps and ropes. They worked in 30-minute rotations because the air inside was thin. One rescuer said the walls kept shedding. "Every time we cleared a meter, another half meter fell," he said.

Seven survivors were pulled out alive by mid-afternoon. They had broken bones, head wounds, and were covered in mud. They were taken to the hospital in Segovia. Two remain in critical condition. Doctors said one man was trapped under a beam for nearly four hours.

The 14 dead were all men from nearby villages. Most were under 40. Several had worked in informal mines since they were teenagers. Their families gathered at the mouth of the pit. Officials read names from a handwritten list. No formal identification has been completed.

Illegal gold mining has exploded across Antioquia. The price of gold draws thousands into unregulated pits. Local authorities say they close dozens each month. New ones open the next day. Armed groups often take a cut. Environmental agencies say these tunnels poison rivers with mercury and leave hillsides unstable.

The national mining agency said it had warned about this specific site two months ago. A notice to vacate was issued. It was ignored. "We don't have the people to guard every hill," an agency inspector said. The mayor's office said an investigation is open. No arrests have been announced.

Tonight the shaft is taped off. Pumps are still pulling water from the bottom. Officials said the risk of a second collapse is high. Families are still waiting by the road for bodies to be brought out.