Illegal gold mine collapse kills dozens in southern Venezuela's Bolivar state

Several people were killed in a devastating incident in Venezuela as an illegal 'Bulla Loca' gold mine collapsed on February 20 in the state of Bolivar, which requires a seven-hour boat journey from the nearest town, La Paragua. As many as 200 people were reportedly working at the open-pit mine at the time the mine collapsed, media reports said.

Yorgi Arciniega, mayor of the Angostura municipality, reportedly revealed that among the retrieved bodies, fifteen arrived in La Paragua via boat, with another eight en route. The situation appeared grim as Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Carlos Perez Ampueda, while withholding precise figures, described the toll as "massive."

Heart-wrenching scenes emerged as distraught relatives awaited news on their loved ones'fate. A total of 15 people who were injured, according to initial reports, were being transported to a hospital in the regional capital Ciudad Bolivar.

Community devastated by loss

Residents lamented the perilous working conditions in the mines and highlighted the desperation driving individuals to such hazardous endeavours. Robinson Basanta, a resident, expressed the inevitability of the tragedy due to the workers' economic situation and how it propels miners into risking their lives.

"This mine has yielded a lot of gold... People go there out of necessity, to make ends meet," he reportedly pointed out. Families pleaded for assistance and urged the authorities to deploy helicopters to expedite the evacuation of the injured.

Activists have been raising concerns over the environmental degradation and exploitation prevalent in the region. They have also been urging attention to the plight of children subjected to gruelling labour without adequate safeguards.

Efforts to assess the situation and conduct search and rescue operations were underway, media reports said, and assistance had been mobilised from various organisations, including teams dispatched from Caracas.

Past incidents

This catastrophe echoed a similar incident in December last year, where 12 lives were claimed in a mine collapse in the Indigenous community of Ikabaru. This underscored the persistent dangers faced by miners in the region.The Bolivar region, abundant in valuable minerals, including gold, coltan, and diamonds witnesses a thriving but perilous industry of illegal mining, exacerbating risks for workers and communities alike.

The Venezuelan Armed Forces have initiated evictionof illegal miners from protected areas, highlighting ongoing efforts to curb unauthorised extraction activities contributing to environmental degradation and human tragedy. AFP reported that these forces evicted some 14,000 illegal miners from the Yapacana National Park in Amazonas state.

(With inputs from agencies)