Colombia’s mine blast kills 20

At least 20 miners were killed and many feared trapped after an explosion in a coal mine in northeastern Colombia, officials said Thursday.

The explosion happened on Wednesday at La Preciosa mine in the northeastern town of Sardinata.

The officials said about 20 dead were counted; six critically-injured in the accident were sent to hospital.

The reason behind the blast is yet to be ascertained, but experts, who are investigating incident, said accumulation of methane gas might be one of the reasons.

The mine is situated about an hour drive outside Sardinata in the Norte de Santander province, which borders Venezuela.