At least 13 workers have been killed and seven injured after a landslide struck an unlicensed gold mine in southern Colombia. Local officials said the collapse occurred at an open-air artisanal mine near Policarpa, in Nariño province, on Wednesday afternoon, trapping workers below after witnesses reported hearing an explosion. Such accidents are common in Colombia, where informal mines often operate without official safety oversight, leaving workers highly vulnerable to collapses.

Emergency responders and local residents used diggers to recover the bodies from the site. Witnesses said four of the 13 dead belonged to the same indigenous family, and that around 50 people, mostly from the Quillacinga indigenous group, regularly worked at the mine. Artisanal mining employs an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people across Colombia, providing crucial income for many families despite the risks involved.