At least 12 workers lost their lives as torrential rainfall triggered a catastrophic collapse in a gold mine.
Authorities in El Callao, Bolivar, Venezuela, confirmed the fatalities on Sunday, June 4, after rescue teams were able to access the cave, extract the victims, and return their bodies to their families.
The Talavera mine was inundated due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, May 31, which led to its collapse. The severity of the situation prevented rescue workers from accessing the mine until Saturday. Bolivar state government security secretary General Edgar Colina reported that 112 workers were able to escape the disaster. On Sunday, rescue teams made their way back into the mine, with the aim of locating any remaining survivors or victims.
The deaths, according to General Colina, were primarily due to respiratory failure resulting from the deluge that flooded the mine. Workers who survived the calamity indicated that some of their colleagues remained trapped within the mine, which extends to a depth of 2,624 feet.
Among the victims identified were Herickson Rojas, 23, and his older brother Enrique Rojas, 30, from Piar, located just 20 minutes from the mine. The Rojas brothers had been working in the mine for the past two years. Other victims included Evelio Ortiz, 34, Yuset Escalona, 28, Jorge Aular, 19, Yeferson Romero, 26, Robert Cuevas, 25, Dimas García, 24, Andrés Morán, 30, Elvis Guerra, 25, and Jesús Díaz, 33.
The Talavera mine, marked by rudimentary tunnels dug by informal miners in their pursuit of gold, falls within the region of the Orinoco Mining Arc. This area drew the attention of the United Nations in 2022, leading to an investigation centered on allegations of human rights abuses and criminal activities, such as miners’ exploitation, child labor, human trafficking, and forced prostitution.
