Three dead, five seriously injured in El Callao gold mine collapse

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 16, 2003 By: David Coleman

Three gold mine workers have been killed and six seriously injured after a mine shaft collapse in the Cuasia sector of El Choco 10 in El Callao, southeastern Bolivar State.  Another 40 workers managed to get out safely to alert emergency crews.

El Callao Mayor Coromoto Lugo was quickly on the scene to direct operations as emergency workers tore out tonnes of earth and rock to uncover the dead and injured.  Three bodies were transferred to the El Callao morgue while six injured were ferried to the German Roscio hospital's emergency room.  It is believed there are two miners still missing and rescue crews have been working feverishly to reach any survivors.

Renato Anibal Cedeno (43) was among the first to be rescued but he died only hours later in hospital from his injuries. Jean Efren Basanta (32) had only worked at the mine for three months and leaves a wife and four children. Jesus Grillet (20) from Santa Maria de Upata was transferred directly to the El Callao morgue.

Civil Defense director Jose Garcia says only 20 miners were directly involved in the collapse but that authorities had decided to evacuate the mine pending a full investigation into what happened.

At the German Roscio hospital in El Callao Rolando Febres (37) from Mexico de El Peru is in intensive care with serious facial injuries and a fractured spinal column; Jose Herrera Basanta (31) from Santa Maria de Upata is also in intensive care ... it had been his first day at the mine after more than a year unemployed; Lisandro Pinilla (45) from Remintong El Callao is also in the ICU with Miguel Ramirez (36) from San Felix.

Miners Angel Sanchez (23) and Armando Palma (40) have been flown to Ciudad Guayana for specialist medical care as a result of the serious injuries they received in the mine collapse.  Emergency room doctor Jose Garcia says the hospital was put on a state of alert at 4 in the morning after a call from Civil Defense organizer Reinaldo Pasarela who immediately informed the State Governor to authorize a rescue helicopter and extra paramedics and crews.

An initial survey shows that the collapse may have been caused by heavy rains in the area, causing a gallery ceiling to collapse on support structure.  Working conditions, especially for small-scale miners, are such that safety regulations are often set aside as being prohibitively expensive and authorities are waging an endless battle to contain illegal mining operations centered on traditional gold mining zones in El Callao, Sifontes, Raul Leoni, El Manteco, Sucre and Cedeno.