NINE miners were killed following an explosion in Colombia that authorities today attributed to gas accumulation.

Jorge Emilio Rey, governor of the Cundinamarca province, said 15 miners were inside the mine when the explosion occurred Monday afternoon, but three escaped “on their own.”

One was taken to a hospital.

Rescue workers and ambulances arrived at the site in Sutatausa, about 46 miles outside the capital Bogota, on Monday to help the remaining miners trapped inside.

National mining agency ANM had recommended strengthening safety measures during an April 9 visit, identifying dangerous gases, including methane.

“As the ANM has warned during its inspection visits, coal deposits can present accumulations of gases such as methane, as well as concentrations of coal ⁠dust,” it said in a statement.

“The National Mining Agency expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims and regrets this mining accident in which, thanks to timely rescue efforts, six miners were rescued alive.”

Mining accidents are common in central Colombia, where illegal mines that fail to meet safety standards also operate.

In 2023, 11 miners were killed by an explosion at another coalmine in Sutatausa, and in 2020, 11 miners died in an accident in Cucunuba.