BOGOTÁ, June 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Seven workers were killed by a blast at an illegal coal mine in Colombia caused by a methane gas buildup, authorities said Friday.

The explosion took place in the central town of Sutatausa on Thursday.

The first victim was found shortly afterwards, and on Friday the bodies of five more miners were recovered, the National Mining Agency said earlier.

Regional governor Jorge Emilio Rey updated the death toll to seven in an X post.

"The National Mining Agency will carry out the corresponding investigations to determine the causes of this accident, which Sutatausa is mourning today," he said.

Accidents in both legal and illegal coal mines are frequent in central Colombia, owing mainly to workers' non-compliance with safety protocols.

In May, two other explosions, one of them also in Sutatausa, left 13 miners dead.