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The number of miners killed at work in 2010 tripled compared to the year before, the country’s mining authority announced on Thursday.
According to government mining agency Geominas, 155 miners died so far this year, while in 2009 58 miners died at work.
Geominas director Andres Ruiz blames the high number of deaths on a disregard for safety regulations.
Colombia has seen a growth in the legal and illegal exploitation of the country’s coal and oil mines.
The country’s authorities announced last week that it had 50 illegal mines over the past four months in an attempt to regulate the country’s mining activities.