BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Twenty-three workers were rescued Wednesday after spending 43 hours trapped in a collapsed underground gold mine in northern Colombia. The miners were met with applause as they emerged from the La Reliquia mine, located in the Antioquia department.

Colombia's National Mining Agency reported that the main entrance to the mine had collapsed on Monday due to a "geomechanical failure." A video released by the ANM shows the first rescued miners walking out under their own power, using a rope to climb the steep entrance to the shaft. Their health status was not immediately disclosed.

The miners' families had been waiting for hours and celebrated their rescue with tears and applause.

The mine is on land belonging to Canada's Aris Mining Corp. but is operated by a local mining cooperative. Aris Mining said earlier that it had provided the trapped workers with food, water and ventilation during the rescue efforts. The mine has about 60 employees and accounts for a "small portion" of the company's total gold production in the area.

Aris runs two mining concessions in Colombia, which last year produced about 6.6 tons of gold. Colombia's gold production climbed to 67 tons per year in 2024, supported by high prices for the precious metal.

A report published in 2023 by Colombia's Human Rights Ombudsman said that more than 80% of Colombia's gold is mined by informal operators with no licenses, including artisanal miners but also members of rebel groups.

The precarious conditions at some gold mines in Colombia have led to fatal accidents. On Saturday the bodies of seven miners were found at an illegal mine in Cauca province. Rescue teams took nine days to reach the trapped workers.

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