In a tragedy in an abandoned gold mine in Venezuela six miners were killed while two others were injured as they worked the mine illegally.
The Mining Minster Jose Khan said that the men were using jackhammers to dig four tunnels when the earth which had been loosened by recent rain gave way and buried them.
In his appearance on state television Jose Khan also mentioned that soldiers had ordered the forty odd miners out of the closed Tomi mine site near El Callao. However a few of the miners had continued to work on the mine site located in the south eastern state of Bolivar.
That is when the accident on Monday night occurred. No member of the group had any legal permission or right to work at the abandoned gold mine.
he mine was abandoned in 2008 by the Canadian company Crystallex due to poor productivity.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Venezuela is currently trying to crack down on rampant illegal mining camps in the deep jungles with the help of soldiers. Many of these illeagal operations pay little or no attention to safety procedures.