(ANSA) - BOGOTA ', June 12 - At least two people died and seven others were trapped after an explosion in a coal mine in Socha, central Colombia, according to the National Mines Agency (ANM).
Three injured were also rescued on the spot, with police, the Red Cross and engineers mobilized to participate in the searches.
The accident may have been caused by an accumulation of methane and coal dust in the Diamante5 mine, the agency said in a statement.
The country recorded 171 victims of mining accidents in 2020, up from 82 the previous year. Mining and oil are the main items of national exports. Colombia, the world's fifth largest exporter of coal, extracted 48.4 million tons last year compared to 82.4 million tons in 2019, according to the Anm. (HANDLE).
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