Colombia’s minister of mining and energy orders the closure of the La Preciosa coal mine in the north of the country after Wednesday morning’s deadly blast reports Caracol Radio.
Minister Carlos Rodado ordered the mine in the northern department of Norte de Santander to be closed after the explosion that killed some 20 people and left six injured.
Reports are still coming in on the precise number of miners who were killed.
According to reports, the minister said that the mine will only be reopened to retrieve the bodies and to release the gases that apparently caused the explosion.