Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured after a gold mine collapsed in southwestern Colombia, local reports said.

The incident occurred last night in the southwestern department of Nariño, where a landslide triggered the collapse of an illegal gold mine.

Rescue and emergency response efforts followed the incident, although further details about the victims and the circumstances surrounding the collapse were not immediately available.

Illegal mining remains a serious safety concern in Colombia, where poorly secured mining sites can expose workers to landslides and structural collapses. (ILKHA)