A methane gas explosion in a Colombian coal mine killed eight workers on Thursday when a tunnel caved in, authorities said according to Reuters. Five others who had been trapped in the Carminales mine in northern Antioquia province were treated for injuries. Unlike many mines in this Andean country, Carminales is a legally sanctioned facility equipped with safety features, said Mayor Carlos Londono of nearby town Fredonia. But the miners did not take normal precautions before entering the kilometer (.6 mile)-deep tunnel on Thursday, said a spokeswoman for Colombia's Ingeominas mining authority. "They did not follow security protocols at the moment that they set off an explosive charge. They did not verify gas levels," the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters.
