- Rescuers have had to be evacuated several times and progress in rescue efforts is slow.
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| Illegal gold mine that collapsed in March. |
Since last Monday, the calm in the village of El Abarico, in the municipality of El Zulia in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, has been altered when the earth roared and warned of a bad omen.
Minutes later, through the internal communication of the La Mestiza mine, the tragedy was announced: the mine exploded.
A total of 14 men were trapped 100 meters deep due to the accumulation of methane gas in the sinkhole, something that is also causing delays, delaying rescue efforts for fear of a possible second explosion.
Outside, more than 30 relatives of the miners wait for a sign that their loved ones are alive.
Rescuers have had to be evacuated several times and progress in rescue efforts is slow.
Outside, more than 30 relatives of the miners wait for a sign that their loved ones are alive, but time is running out and negative thoughts flood their heads. Wives, mothers, and children cry at the impotence of not knowing anything about them.
The sound of the water from the creek that passes nearby soothes their pain, but there is no consolation in the face of this tragedy that has already claimed the life of one of the workers at the entrance to the mine.
Fabio Cáceres García could not stand 85% of second and third-degree burns on his body.
Daniel Martínez, the uncle of the miner Santiago Pérez Martínez, recounted with anguish what they have been experiencing since they found out about the explosion and what he saw after managing to reach the entrance of the tunnel.
"I was a miner for ten years and one knows that the tombstone is attached to the back"
“The scene is like an action movie. The trees around the mine entrance are burned, and the candle (the fire) rose about 30 meters," explained Martínez.
"I was a miner for ten years and one knows that the tombstone is attached to his back. The work below is not only about strength, or picks and shovels; it is also psychological. What they must do is turn off the light, ration water, and breathe a little, slowly. Inside you know that they will look for you when something like this happens, "he said in his story while hugging another relative.
Silence of the authorities
The anguish and desperation took hold of the families after midday this Wednesday, when they received information from Gloria Catalina Gheorghe, national manager of Mining Security and Rescue, confirming that "today it will not be possible to rescue their loved ones."
Marianela González Gómez, wife of one of the miners, did not hesitate to criticize the news. “They are hiding something from us, you are interested in getting them out of there. They are 79 meters from the mine entrance, but you decided to enter from the longest side," she assured annoyed.
“70% has been advanced in distance where the miners are. We have 46 uninterrupted hours of work. We are doing everything to rescue them, "said Gheorghe, for his part.
The anguish and desperation took over the families after noon this Wednesday.
Although hope is fading, it has not disappeared completely, and Sara Pérez, mother of miner Miguel Pérez, clings to her prayers sitting on a rock on the banks of the ravine that separates them from the mine.
"Only he (God) has the power to return our relatives safe and sound, as we know it will be," he said, and continued the prayer with the other people.
This will be the third night that the relatives of the 14 men underground will remain sleepless. The only consolation they have is that they will rest on the board beds that are located a few meters from the mine that exploded, the same beds in which just three days ago their brothers, husbands and children slept their last night.