A screengrab shows people working, following a collapsed mine, in El Callao, Bolivar, Venezuela, June 3, 2023.
A screengrab shows people working, following a collapsed mine, in El Callao, Bolivar, Venezuela, June 3, 2023. Secretary for Citizen Security in Bolivar/Handout via REUTERS
Venezuela

Deadly flood collapses gold mine in Venezuela, 12 miners killed

Flooding collapsed a gold mine in southern Venezuela, killing at least 12 miners, local authorities said on Sunday, adding that the victims' bodies were returned to their families.
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PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela (Reuters) - Flooding collapsed a gold mine in southern Venezuela, killing at least 12 miners, local authorities said on Sunday, adding that the victims' bodies were returned to their families.

The Talavera mine, located in El Callao, in Venezuela's Bolivar state, flooded on Wednesday due to heavy rains but rescue workers could not finish recovery efforts before Saturday.

Another 112 people survived the mine collapse, said Edgar Colina, the secretary for Citizen Security in Bolivar, adding that authorities will return to the site on Sunday to check for other survivors or victims.

Tunnels at the Talavera mine are opened in a rudimentary fashion by informal miners looking for gold.

A screengrab shows the Isidora mine, which is being used for the rescue of trapped miners, after a mine collapsed in El Callao, Bolivar, Venezuela, June 2, 2023.
A screengrab shows the Isidora mine, which is being used for the rescue of trapped miners, after a mine collapsed in El Callao, Bolivar, Venezuela, June 2, 2023. Secretary for Citizen Security in Bolivar/Handout via REUTERS

The mine is in the so-called Orinoco Mining Arc.

Advocacy groups and other organizations have issued warnings about the region, with the UN last year reporting that human rights violations take place in Venezuela's mining regions.

(Reporting by Maria de los Angeles Ramirez in Puerto Ordaz; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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