Colombian rescue workers Wednesday found the bodies of three miners trapped following an explosion in a coal mine in the north-east department of Boyaca.
Director of the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining Mauricio Flechas said the rescue operation, which began Monday, was difficult due to the concentration of gases in the mine.
“We worked all night but access to the site was very difficult because we had to make a ventilation shaft due to the build-up of carbon monoxide in the mine,” Flechas said.
The authorities have only managed to remove one of the bodies so far but hope to remove the other two in the next few hours, according to Flechas.
The explosion in the mine is believed to have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas.
This is the second fatal accident in a Boyaca so far this year.