The key facts

  • The collapse at an open-pit gold mine in the municipality of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé (Nariño) occurred on Monday; 14 people died, seven were injured, four of them seriously.
  • The bodies of 13 victims were found in Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, and one more in the municipality of Guapi in the department of Cauca.
  • Search operations have ended, no one is missing; the UN called on the state to take measures against illegal mining.

The Collapse and the Death Toll

On Monday, a section of an open-pit gold mine along the Iscuandé River in the municipality of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé on Colombia's Pacific coast (department of Nariño) collapsed, trapping people who were working there. According to Alex González, the secretary of the department of Nariño for peace and human rights, nine deaths were initially reported, but as rescue operations continued, the death toll rose to 14. Seven more people were injured, four of them in serious condition.

The Scene and the Evacuation

González told the Noticias Caracol television channel that the bodies of 13 victims were found in Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, and one more in the neighboring municipality of Guapi in the department of Cauca. The mine is located on the territory of the community council of the Iscuandé River basin. Given the serious condition of the four injured, the administration of Nariño, together with the Third Division of the Colombian Army, organized their evacuation by air to Tumaco for treatment.

End of Search Operations and the UN Response

According to González, search operations have been completed, and no missing persons have been reported. On Tuesday, the OHCHR office in Colombia called on participants in the National Disaster Risk Management System to take measures to support the victims and their families. In a statement published on X, the organization said: “We call on the state to implement all necessary preventive measures through territorial transformation, as well as investigation and punishment for this illegal activity in the territories, which affects people forced to work in such conditions without any guarantees, and also harms the environment and the health of communities.”