BOGOTA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a landslide that struck an informal gold mine Monday in a rural area of the municipality of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, in Colombia's southwestern department of Narino, has risen to 14, according to local authorities.
"The death toll stands at 14, unfortunately. Thirteen people are already in the town center of Iscuande, while one was taken to Guapi," said Gabriel Ocana, administrative director of the disaster risk management at the Narino governor's office.
The landslide, which also left seven people injured, occurred Monday morning after heavy rains, reports said.
Informal and unregulated mining is common in rural parts of Colombia. In August, a similar mining accident killed 13 workers and wounded seven in the town of Policarpa, also in Narino.
Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) said its technical team had been delayed in reaching the site because of access difficulties and public order conditions in the area.
"The ANM maintains its technical and operational readiness to support the emergency response once necessary security conditions are in place for rescue teams to enter," it said. ■
