Venezuela mine collapse leaves 15 dead

A survivor gets medical attention at a tent set up next to a mine after it collapsed in La Paragua, Bolivar state, Venezuela, Feb 21, 2024. [AP Photo]

Fifteen people were killed and 11 others injured after a mine collapsed in La Paragua, the city of Angostura in the country's southeastern Bolivar state, said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday night.

Search and rescue teams continue to be deployed in the area by ground and air to find trapped miners after the unfortunate incident, the president added.

"We immediately dispatched all the civil defense teams, together with the governor of Bolivar state Angel Marcano, we would strengthen the rescue phase," Maduro said via state television.

Maduro added that preliminary investigations have determined that the collapse of the mine occurred after some drilling and "collapsed to a depth of 30 meters."