A methane gas explosion at a small, central Colombian coal mine on Tuesday killed five workers, officials said. The explosion comes less than a week after another accident at a coal mine in northeast Colombia killed 21 miners and prompted the government to call for a mine safety review. "According to preliminary reports, there was an explosion at (La Escondida mine), apparently due to methane gas, leaving up until now five people dead," Reuters quoted mining regulator Ingeominas as saying in a statement. It said that the mine -- located in Sutatausa municipality in Cundinamarca province, north of Colombia's centrally located capital -- was in the process of becoming legal, and was allowed to operate under legalization procedures. Colombia is the world's No. 5 coal exporter, with an industry dominated by major players with open-pit mines.
