Nine coal miners die in gas explosion in Colombia

Nine people have died in an explosion at a coal mine in Colombia in the latest fatal accident to hit the country's mining sector.Emergency workers said they had rescued six miners from the shafts in Sutatausa, north of the capital, Bogotá.Colombia's National Mining Agency said a build-up of gases was thought to have caused the explosion at 16:00 (21:00 GMT) on Monday.It also published a list of recommendations it said it had made to the mine's operators after an inspection less than a month ago, in which it had warned of a "potentially dangerous gas build-up". Many mines in Colombia are operated informally and without proper safety standards.The captain of the regional fire department, Álvaro Farfán, said emergency workers were still working to retrieve the miners' bodies. Those who survived are being treated in hospital.Mining accidents are common in Colombia.Last July, 18 workers were rescued from an unlicensed gold mine after having been trapped underground for 18 hours due to a mechanical failure.