On Thursday, families and friends began burying their loved ones who were among the 16 people killed when an illegally-operated gold mine collapsed in a remote part of central Venezuela.
The mournful tributes come as demands mount for government help with the injured and recovered bodies from Tuesday’s accident — one of the worst in a poorly regulated mining industry that has soared as the OPEC nation’s oil production dwindled.
The first funerals were held at a cemetery in La Paragua. This is the closest community to the mine, Bulla Loca. It had only been operating for a few short months. The death toll was raised to 16 overnight by officials, who also reported that there had been 16 injuries. It is expected that the casualty figures will rise.
Dozens of people are feared dead in a collapsed open-pit gold mine in VENEZUELAN
Residents claim that officials of President Nicolas Maduro’s government have undercounted the extent of the tragedy.
As the casket of Santiago Mora, 24, was lowered to the ground, several relatives, friends and neighbors wept. They screamed, “We’re going to miss your so much”, after placing flowers in the wooden casket.
Angel Marcano the pro-Maduro governor in Bolivar where the mine is situated, said…
