(Caracas) More than 1,200 illegal miners, including 131 children and adolescents, were evacuated from a gold mine which collapsed on February 20 in southern Venezuela, killing 16 people, the army announced on Sunday.
“More than 1,271 illegal miners have been evacuated from the illegal Bulla Loca mine,” located seven hours by river navigation from La Paragua, in the southern state of Bolivar, General Domingo Hernandez Larez announced on the social network X.
Hundreds of miners were working in the open pit when a landslide occurred.
Among the survivors are 82 children and 49 adolescents, according to the same source which specified that the evacuations were continuing.
The Bolivar region is home to significant reserves of gold, diamonds, iron, bauxite and quartz. Mines are exploited there by the state, but also by illegal groups.
In December, at least twelve people were killed in a mine collapse in the indigenous community of Ikabaru in the same state.