<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>The death toll from an explosion in a coal mine in Colombia rose to seven Friday with the discovery of four more bodies, official said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The new toll was given by Alvaro Farfan, the head of the firefighting department in the central Cundinamarca region.</div><div><br></div><div>The blast ripped through the mine overnight Wednesday into Thursday in Cucunuba municipality around 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the capital Bogota.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities said they suspect pockets of gas trapped in the mine detonated.</div><div><br></div><div>Rescue teams initially found three bodies and four workers were missing. These bodies were finally spotted on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Videos shared on social media showed smoke billowing from a sinkhole in the dead of night while people dressed in civilian clothes carrying torches approached carefully.</div><div><br></div><div>Colombia is Latin America's largest coal producer.</div><div><br></div><div>Mining accidents are frequent in Colombia, particularly in illegal mines in Cundinamarca and other parts of the country's center and northeast.</div><div><br></div><div>The mines and energy ministry registered 1,262 such accidents between 2011 and May 2022 that left an average of more than 100 people dead per year.</div><div><br></div><div>An explosion in mid-March in Sutatausa municipality, also in Cundinamarca, left 21 people dead and was one of the worst such tragedies in Colombia in recent years. According to AFP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>