Gold mine collapse in southwest Colombia kills at least 6, 12 to 15 missing An informal open pit gold mine collapsed Monday in a remote corner of southwest Colombia, killing at least six miners and leaving 12 to 15 others missing, officials said. At least six miners were killed Monday when an open pit gold mine collapsed in a remote corner of southwest Colombia, and an additional 12 to 15 miners have been reported as missing, authorities said. The accident occurred in the municipality of Santa Barbara de Iscuande, in the southwestern department of Nariño. The community is surrounded by dense rainforest and can only be reached by boat or small aircraft. Jorge Tovar Castillo, a disaster response official in Nariño, said municipal authorities were handling the response to the accident. He added that communication had been difficult because of the area's isolation.Response and Rescue EffortsTovar Castillo said officials were waiting for the next report from local authorities. He also said they were waiting to see whether additional support would be required for the rescue effort. In a message on X, Nariño's governor, Luis Alfonso Escobar, said the gold mine that collapsed was an informal mine. Hundreds of small mines in Colombia operate without government permits, and some are controlled by rebel groups.Escobar wrote on X that at this moment our priority is to save lives, accompany families and guarantee an opportune response to this painful tragedy. The collapse happened in a remote corner of the country where dense rainforest surrounds the community of Santa Barbara de Iscuande. The difficult terrain and limited access have complicated communication and emergency operations. Local disaster response officials in Nariño said the response was being led by municipal authorities.They added that communication with the site had been difficult and that they were awaiting further reports. Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims or the missing miners. The number of confirmed dead and missing could change as more information becomes available from the remote site. Colombia has hundreds of small mines that operate without government permits.Informal Mining and Rebel ControlSome of those operations are controlled by rebel groups, according to authorities. The mine that collapsed was described by the governor as informal. The governor said the priority was to save lives and support the families of those affected. He also called for an opportune response to what he described as a painful tragedy.Rescue efforts were continuing in the remote rainforest region. Officials said they were waiting for local authorities to report whether they needed additional support from the department or national government.