At least ten gold diggers were stranded in an artisanal mine in southern Nicaragua on Friday after a landslide inside a tunnel, official media reported.
“Rescue units of the Unified Firefighters comrades are working to respond to the emergency,” said vice president and government spokesperson Rosario Murillo, wife of President Daniel Ortega, on the official El 19 website. Digital.
The Radio Ya media reported that the landslide, which occurred on Friday morning, had “buried” 10 people who were in the tunnel.
Daily La Prensa reported that, according to witnesses, there were at least 15 people trapped inside the mine.
According to the first lady, the accident occurred in a mine located in the territory of the municipality of La Esperanza, in the department of Rio San Juan (south), more than 200 kilometers south-east of the capital.
Rosario Murillo did not give details on the number of artisanal miners working in this mine, that is, people who dig for their own account in search of gold.
She also did not indicate whether there were any deaths or injuries.
“We hope not to have greater misfortunes,” she added only.
Rescue operations were suspended after dark to resume on Saturday, according to Radio Ya.
It is estimated that Nicaragua has around 3,000 artisanal miners, in addition to 5,000 employed by mining companies established in the country.