Bogota, (DPA) The death toll in the collapse of a pit where miners were digging for gold was up to 24, Colombian authorities said.
Another 28 miners were reported injured in the rockslide Saturday at the illegal gold mine near Suarez in southwestern Colombia.
Rescue crews digging with heavy equipment through tons of debris had recovered 21 bodies by Sunday evening, with three more miners missing and presumed dead.
The disaster was believed to have been set off by heavy rains in the mountainous area, weakening cliffs and embankments. Landslide warnings were issued hours before the mining disaster, but about 50 people were still working in the open pit when one side collapsed.
A local company was operating the pit mine without a license along the Cauca River, Colombian media reported. The operation used heavy machinery to excavate the substrate, which was being washed out in hopes of revealing gold deposits. Three days a week, local peasants had been allowed to dig in the pit by hand for bits of gold.