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Colombia Gold Mine Landslide Kills 13 Workers in Nariño

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of two excavators and rescue workers operating at night amid a collapsed open-pit mine in Nariño, rendered in warm ochre and slate-blue pastel strokes.

A slope collapsed at an open-pit gold mine in the Puerto Rico area of Policarpa, Nariño, killing 13 workers and injuring seven. Colombia's National Mining Agency said preliminary information indicated that suspected illegal gold extraction using uncontrolled heavy machinery had destabilized the ground. Officials said the August 19 disaster was caused by a landslide rather than an explosion, as initially reported. Firefighters, residents and excavator crews completed recovery work at about 2 a.m. after locating everyone reported missing.

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