Venezuela: at least 14 dead in gold mine collapse

Caracas (Venezuela), Oct. 14 (LaPresse/AP) – At least 14 people died in the collapse of a gold mine in El Callao, Venezuela. The collapse was caused by torrential rains that struck the southeastern region. A command post was established to “coordinate the recovery operations of the 14 deceased,” led by Brigadier General Gregory Gonzalez Acevedo, head of the Operational Zones for Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (ZOEDAN) in the state of Bolívar. The victims were recorded in three different shafts of the ‘Cuatro Esquinas de Caratal’ mine, located in the city of El Callao, about 850 kilometers southeast of Caracas. Search and rescue operations began with “the pumping of all the shafts in the area to lower the water level, and then the assessment of rescue operations” for those trapped inside the mine. The death toll is based on the accounts of other miners. The flooding caused the collapse of the vertical mines, known as chasms.