Twelve People Die In Flooded Gold Mine In Venezuela's East - Reports

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2023) A total of 12 illegal miners died in an abandoned gold mine in El Callao municipality in eastern Venezuela after it became inundated in heavy rains on Wednesday, media report.

Five bodies were recovered from the Talavera mine on Thursday and Friday and seven more on Saturday, La Patilla news outlet reported, citing secretary of security in El Callao, Edgar Colina Reyes.

The mine was flooded in heavy rains that pounded the area on Wednesday, which cut the miners' oxygen supply, Colina was quoted as saying by the media. The prospectors came from other regions and were unaware of the dangers of staying in the mines in heavy rains, the official said in a statement on the security ministry's website.

Search efforts continue because rescuers believe other people could remain in the mine.