Colombia Loses 5 Coal Miners

By Joel ScanlonFeb 2 2011

Colombia lost five mine workers as a result of a gas explosion in a mine in the central province of Cundinamarca. A sixth miner was injured in the blast which came shortly after the Colombian government promised to look over safety measures to prevent such tragedies which have become the norm of late in the country.

The La Escondida coal mine recorded the methane blast at 12:45 GMT as per a spokesperson from the state Institute of Geology and Mining. The injured miner is currently being treated in a hospital but the exact extent of his injuries was unknown. No other mine workers were inside at the time of the blast.

Less than a week ago in a similar explosion 21 mine workers had been killed in Colombia. This had pushed the government into examining the mine safety standards in the country. The blast that took place was in a mine which was still in the process of becoming legal. The mine which is situated in the Sutatausa municipality in the Cundinamarca province had been allowed to operate mining procedures while the legalization process continued.

The working conditions for miners in most Latin American nations are undergoing major safety reviews. Fueled with an economic boom there have been marked improvements in many mines, but as the recent blasts suggest there is more work to be done.