A landslide trapped two miners in the Esperanza coal mine, north-eastern Colombia, local authorities said Thursday.
The accident occurred Wednesday 180 feet below the surface in the coal mine just outside the town of Tasco, Boyaca.
Tasco mayor Edwin Javier Manrique told press that the government’s mining institute, the Red Cross and volunteers started an operation to rescue the miners.
“There is hope they are alive,” the mayor said.
Mining accidents are common in Colombia, which has numerous coal and gold mines.
The news follows Chile’s successful rescue of 33 coal miners who were trapped below ground for more than two months.