INTERNATIONAL COAL NEWS

Another mine explosion rocks Colombia

FIVE miners have reportedly been killed after a second coal mine explosion in Colombia in less th...

Donna Schmidt

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According to Dow Jones Newswires, a methane-fueled blast occurred early Tuesday morning local time at the La Escondida operation near Sutatausa in the state of Cundinamarca.

The Ingeominas industry oversight group said preliminary information cited methane as causing the explosion north of Bogota.

The incident comes just days after 21 miners died at the La Preciosa underground pit mine in Norte de Santander, northeast Colombia, last Wednesday following an explosion that officials are also linking to methane.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told media outlets shortly after the event that the number of mining deaths in the country was "totally unacceptable" and that he was calling for a review of safety regulations.

More than 100 miners died in Colombian mines in 2010.

Colombia is the world’s fifth-largest coal exporter.

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