Six killed in explosion at illegal gold mine in Colombia

Rescue personnel coordinate to search for missing miners after an explosion at an underground coal mine in Cucunuba, Colombia, June 24, 2017. (Via Reuters)

Six people have been killed following an explosion at an illegal gold mine in central Colombia, authorities say.

The explosion happened on Friday in the Buritica municipality in Antioquia province, an area where illegal mining is widespread and accidents are not uncommon. One person was rescued after the blast.

The cause of the explosion is not yet clear and two bodies are still in the mine, the regional disaster authority DAPARD said.

Last month, at least eleven miners died at an underground coal mine in Colombia following an explosion caused by methane gas.

The explosion took place on June 24 in the Cucunuba municipality in Cundinamarca province.

Photo shows the site of an explosion at an underground coal mine in Cucunuba, Colombia, June 24, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

An explosion at a Colombian coal mine in June 2010 also killed 73 people, the worst recent mining disaster in the Andean country.

(Source: Reuters)