Colombian emergency crews on Thursday rescued nine miners from an illegal coal mine that collapsed the previous day, officials said.

 

The nine were brought to the surface from the pit in El Bosque in the central Cundinamarca department.

 

"The nine workers were rescued alive," the National Mining Agency said on Twitter.

 

"The miners are in good health, receiving medical attention," it said.

With the miners trapped since Wednesday morning, rescuers managed to contact them in the rubble hours later and supply them with air.

 

Oil and coal are the main exports of Colombia, where mining accidents are frequent.

 

In 2021, the fourth largest Latin American economy recorded 148 deaths in mining incidents.

 

The rescue came as 10 miners remained trapped in a Mexican coal mine for two weeks, with no signs of life.