- Dozens of miners still trapped in the remote Amazon region
- Venezuela’s socialist regime has increasingly relied on gold mined in the state of Bolívar to cover its expenses and avoid US sanctions on its oil industry.
- The regime has been accused of allowing criminal gangs to operate freely to profit from unauthorized mines.
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At least 30 Venezuelans are feared dead after a 114-foot-deep unauthorized gold mine collapsed, trapping more than 100 men inside.
The wall of the illegal open-pit gold mine, called Bulla Loca, collapsed on Tuesday, sparking a frantic rescue effort in the remote town of La Paragua, near the Venezuelan Amazon in Bolívar state.
Dozens of miners remain trapped as of Wednesday, and rescue teams have been sent to the remote area, Mayor Yorgi Arciniega told CNN en Español.
Arciniega said late Tuesday that he planned to bring “about 30 coffins” to a community near the mine, indicating that officials feared the death toll could rise to dozens.
Heartbreaking videos from the scene show workers without proper equipment trying to help get trapped workers out of the mine, which can only be reached by an hour-long boat ride.
At least 30 Venezuelans are feared dead after a 114-foot-deep unauthorized gold mine collapsed, trapping more than 100 men inside.
Heartbreaking videos from the scene show workers without proper equipment trying to help get trapped workers out of the mine, which can only be reached by an hour-long boat ride.
Venezuela’s socialist regime has increasingly relied on gold mined in Bolívar state to cover its expenses and evade US sanctions on its oil industry, and has been accused of allowing criminal gangs to run free to profit from the mines.
Local reports claim that the Bulla Loca mine opened last year and is under the control of several criminal gangs.
Relatives of the miners gathered in La Paragua, the community closest to the mine, to ask the government to send planes to the remote location to rescue the injured and recover the bodies.
‘We are here waiting, please, for the government to support us with helicopters, planes, whatever,’ said Karina Ríos, whose father of her daughter was trapped in the collapse.
‘There are quite a few dead, there are people injured. Why don’t they give us support? Where are they?
Rios said he is concerned that the bodies could decompose quickly due to the conditions in the area.
Criminal groups running gold mines in southern Venezuela have mutilated miners accused of stealing, extorted business owners and forced young children to work without safety equipment as they tighten their control over a mineral-rich region. Human Rights Watch said.
Relatives mourn one of the miners who died after the collapse of an illegal mine near La Paragua, Bolívar state, on Wednesday.
Relatives of the miners gathered in La Paragua, the community closest to the mine, to ask the government to send planes to the remote location to rescue the injured and recover the bodies.
“Armed groups appear to operate largely with government acquiescence and, in some cases, government participation,” the report says.
Human Rights Watch also said that some mines in Bolívar state are controlled by Colombian rebel groups now operating in Venezuela, including the National Liberation Army, which has approximately 3,000 members and is still fighting to overthrow the Colombian government. The group attacked a police academy in Bogotá last year, killing 21 people.
“Poor Venezuelans forced to work in gold mining due to the current economic crisis and humanitarian emergency have become victims of macabre crimes committed by armed groups that control illegal gold mines in southern Venezuela,” said José Miguel. Vivanco, director for the Americas of Human Rights Watch.
“It is critical that gold buyers and refiners ensure that Venezuelan gold in their supply chains is not stained with the blood of Venezuelan victims.”
In December, another mine in southern Venezuela collapsed, leaving 12 dead.