Six dead after coal mine explosion in Colombia

At least six miners were killed and three others trapped after an explosion inside a coal mine on Friday in northeastern Colombia.

The authorities have begun an investigation to establish the causes of the incident.

Angelmiro Berbesi, director of the Risk Management Office in the municipality of El Zulia, said that the explosion apparently occurred due to the accumulation of gases inside the mine.

"An explosion occurred inside the mine and in total there are nine trapped miners. Workers have found six bodies, the other three people are still inside and have not been located," the official told local media.

Efforts are underway to rescue the trapped workers.

In April, in the same region of the country, six miners died in another coal mine that did not have security measures approved by the authorities.