Blast dims hopes for trapped miners in Colombia

Bogota, Agency
An explosion at a coal mine in the central Colombian town of Tasco reduced the chances that two workers trapped by an earlier cave-in will be found alive, the head of civil defense in Boyaca province said Thursday.

The blast early Thursday at the La Esperanza mine caused another cave-in, but caused no injuries among the rescue workers, Hugo Bohorquez told the media.

Miners Hernan Alfonso Barrera and John Freddy Ordoñez were trapped 60 meters (196 feet) underground by a cave-in late Tuesday.

The two men could be heard calling for help within 10 minutes after the initial accident.

Thursday's explosion forced the rescue team to shift to a parallel path, where progress was slowed by a large boulder, civil defense official Luis Fernando Piñeros said.

"Even so," he added, "we continue working without stopping for a single minute."

"Only a miracle from God will allow both of them to come out of the shaft alive," a member of the Ordoñez family said outside the mine.

La Esperanza is in a region of numerous artisanal coal mines that are prone to cave-ins.