5 dead in Colombia coalmine blast

BOGOTA: Five miners were killed and 16 were trapped after an explosion in a northeasern Colombia coalmine on Wednesday, local officials told media.

Another five people were injured and hospitalized, according to the mayor of Sardinata, Yamile Rangel, who had originally said 30 miners were trapped.

Rangel said four had been confirmed dead at the scene, and a fifth died en route to a hospital.

"The official toll up to now is five dead, six wounded, and in the mine 16 workers trapped inside," Rangel told media.

Officials with the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mines (INGEOMINAS), however, indicated it was "impossible" any of the miners could have survived the explosion, and said the dead toll could end up over 20.

The blast may have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas, Rangel said.

The "La Preciosa" mine is located about an hour outside of town in the Norte de Santander province, which borders Venezuela.

It was not immediately clear how many miners were trapped because the explosion ripped through the mine during a 6:30 am (1130 GMT) shift change, said Alvaro Silva, a senior Sardinata municipal official.