5 Trapped miners rescued in Colombia

Bogota, Agency
Five workers left trapped after a mudslide at a gold mine in the southern Colombian town of Yaguara were rescued, authorities said. While one of the men suffered a leg fracture, the other four were unhurt, emergency services official Luis Eduardo Fonseca said late Wednesday.

The injured miner was taken to a hospital in the neighboring town of Campoalegre.

The agency that regulates Colombia's mines, Ingeominas, said it will investigate the incident to determine whether the mudslide was the result of maintenance lapses or simply due to recent heavy rains in the area.

Ingeominas noted that 140 people have died in mine accidents in Colombia so far this year.

Efforts to reach two miners trapped for more than a week after a cave-in at a coal mine in the central town of Tasco will continue "as long as safety conditions permit," Ingeominas said.

Authorities acknowledge the chances are slim that Hernan Alfonso Barrera and John Fredy Ordoñez are still alive.