The victims were miners who were working despite the health emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Most Colombians are quarantined by government order, but mining is among the activities exempted.

According to AFP, Captain Alvaro Farfan, head of the fire department of Cundinamarca, told local media that the accident occurred in a legally operated coal mine, although he did not give details about the type of explosion.

On Friday, six other miners were killed in a similar incident at a coal mine in the municipality of San Cayetano in northeastern Colombia.

After the new accident, the state-run National Mining Agency announced the suspension of “the underground coal mining activity” in Cucunuba.