(CNN Spanish) — The collapse of a gold mine called Bulla Loca in La Paraguay, in Venezuela’s Bolivar state, about 750 kilometers southeast of Caracas, has killed at least 30 people and buried 100 others, the city’s mayor told CNN. to be confirmed. Yorgi Arciniega, via a phone call.
The collapse, which occurred in a hard-to-access area, happened at 3:00 pm local time on Tuesday, the official said, adding that rescue teams were already carrying out rescue operations in the area.
For his part, the Secretary of Civil Protection of the state of Bolivar, Edgar Colina Reyes, told CNN that, so far, he can only confirm two deaths and two injuries, while waiting for new data due to the difficulty of reaching the place of the incident. are doing. , However, Colina specified that he hoped to reach the collapse area to be able to determine the number of deaths and make a more accurate statement.
This map shows the location of La Paragua, a municipality in the state of Bolivar where the Bulla Loca gold mine is located.
Bolivar, a forested region of southeastern Venezuela, has long been affected by illegal mining of gold and other minerals. In recent years, informal mining activity, often controlled by criminal groups, has expanded significantly, touching the territory of the Canaima National Park, an untouched area on the border between Venezuela and Brazil.
La Paragua is about 60 kilometers from the border of this park.
There was another landslide in Bolivar late last year
On December 8, 2023, a gold mine collapsed in Paraíba de San José de Vadamapa, Gran Sabana, killing at least 10 people, reported at the time the Secretariat of Civil Protection of the state of Bolivar, the same state where the The Bulla Loka mine collapse occurred.
However, the official number of deaths published by the non-governmental organization SOS Orinoco states that the deaths were 18. The NGO condemned what it claims is a dangerous activity due to the working conditions and equipment used. They said. Use.
According to the unit, another similar accident occurred on November 12, but only injuries were reported on that occasion. This time, SOS Orinoco added in its X account, “A 10-meter ravine collapsed in the same mine: at least 18 Venezuelans and indigenous people died, and 3 Brazilians were injured.”
The publication in X by SOS Orinoco is accompanied by a video showing how a few people move the bodies of many.
News in development.
With information from Ivonne Valdes.
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