The bodies of two miners trapped by a landside in a Boyaca coal mine have been located but may not be recovered for up to two weeks due to dangerous conditions.
Hernan Alfonso Barrera and John Fredy Ordoñez were trapped 35 meters below the ground, between the second and third levels of the mine, reports El Espectador.
The two men became stuck in La Esperanza mine in north-east Colombia on Wednesday, when part of a tunnel collapsed.
Edgar Fabian Morales, the national coordinator for security and rescue for Ingeominas, the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining, said that the current conditions were not optimal to continue with rescue operations, “We are looking at other alternatives to lessen the risks.”
Several days ago, when rescuers entered the third level of the mine, where the miners were expected to be located, and did not find anyone, the chances that they remained alive diminished significantly.
Morales explained that the authorities “informed the families that the chances of the miners surviving the collapse are minimal.”
Two other mining accidents have occurred in Colombia in the last week, in the departments of Caldas and Boyaca.