- 19 October, around 08:00 local timeLandslide hits the illegal gold mine; about 30 people were working inside, NOS reports
- 19 October, nine dead reportedNine deaths reported, with several people buried, according to Nariño's secretary for peace and security
- 20 October, early reports14 dead and 7 injured reported by NOS and Al Jazeera
What happened
A landslide struck an illegal gold mine in the Chambero sector of Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé, a municipality in Nariño department in southwestern Colombia, on Monday, 19 October 2026. NOS reports that the collapse happened around 08:00 local time, when about 30 people were working in the mine. Alex Gonzalez, Nariño's secretary for peace and security, told Caracol TV that several people had been buried and gave a toll of nine at that stage. A regional government report says the mine was not authorised to operate. The slide also made access to the site, which lies on the border between El Chambero and Bellavista, harder for rescue crews.
Casualty figures
Reports on 19 October varied as the toll rose. One regional government report gave six dead, while other reports gave nine. Later reports carried by NOS and Al Jazeera put the toll at 14 dead and seven injured. Jorge Tovar Castillo, a disaster response official in Nariño, said 12 to 15 additional miners had been reported missing. Al Jazeera reports that Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar said search and rescue operations had concluded, while a NOS report says rescuers were still looking for people under the debris.
Rescue and access
Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé is surrounded by rainforest and can be reached only by boat or small plane, according to NOS, and El Mundo puts it about 550 kilometres from Pasto, the capital of Nariño. Colombia's ombudsman's office, the Defensoría del Pueblo, called for the armed forces, rescuers, health services and forensic medicine to be deployed.
“The priority at this moment is to save lives and guarantee immediate and coordinated emergency care.”
The office also warned of armed groups in the area and asked for safe access for emergency and humanitarian teams. The regional government said rescue teams face difficult terrain and criminal groups that fund themselves through drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining. The casualty figures are still moving, so the toll and the number of missing may change as crews reach the site.
- Dead, latest reports
- 14 people
- Injured
- 7 people
- Missing, lower estimate
- 12 people
- Missing, upper estimate
- 15 people
Data from the article text
Illegal mining in Nariño
Nariño borders Ecuador, and NOS reports that several armed groups operate there, including FARC dissidents, who profit from mining. A source in the regional government said communities have no economic alternatives beyond these extremely risky activities. The same source said small artisanal mining has almost disappeared. In August, 13 people died in a similar mining accident in Policarpa, also in Nariño. Mining accidents are common in Colombia, especially at illegal sites without safety controls.