At least 14 people lost their lives after a gold mine collapsed in the El Callao municipality of southern Venezuela, local emergency officials reported on Monday.

Authorities said the incident occurred after heavy rains affected the area, causing severe instability in the mining shafts. Rescue teams from Venezuela’s National Risk System (SNR) have been deployed to the site, with recovery operations ongoing.

According to officials, the bodies of the victims were found across three separate shafts, highlighting the scale of the disaster.

Emergency authorities explained that the first phase of recovery involves pumping water from the affected shafts to lower water levels, allowing teams to safely conduct further rescue and recovery operations. “The initial works focus on pumping out all the shafts in the sector to reduce the water level, and then evaluate rescue efforts,” the officials stated on social media.

The tragedy underscores the risks faced by miners in the region, where artisanal and small-scale gold mining is common, often conducted under precarious conditions.

No information has yet been released regarding potential survivors or the total number of miners present at the time of the collapse. Authorities continue to monitor the situation and have promised a full investigation into the incident. (ILKHA)