By Staff, Agencies

The death toll from a gold mine collapse in southwestern Colombia’s Nariño department has risen to 14, while seven other people were injured, four of them seriously, a local official said Monday.

The accident occurred at an open-pit gold mine along the Iscuandé River in the municipality of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, on Colombia’s Pacific coast, when part of the mine collapsed and buried workers.

Alex González, Nariño’s secretary of peace and human rights, told Noticias Caracol that 13 bodies had been recovered in Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, while another victim’s body was located in the neighboring municipality of Guapi, in Cauca department.

Of the seven injured, four were in serious condition. The Nariño Governor’s Office coordinated with the Colombian Army’s Third Division to arrange their evacuation by air to Tumaco for medical treatment.

The United Nations Human Rights Office in Colombia on Tuesday called on authorities within the National Disaster Risk Management System to provide assistance to the injured and families affected by the tragedy.

In a statement posted on X, the organization urged the state to strengthen preventive measures, investigate illegal mining activities and hold those responsible accountable. It also warned that such activities expose workers to dangerous conditions without adequate safeguards while harming the environment and the health of local communities.

The mine is situated within the territory of the Iscuandé River Basin Community Council.

Initial reports put the death toll at nine, but the number rose to 14 as rescue operations progressed. González later confirmed that search efforts had concluded, with no additional people reported missing.