Three killed in collapse at Guyana gold mine

Three miners in Guyana were killed when the walls of the open-pit mine they were working in collapsed, burying them in tons of mud and sand.

Police said the deaths of the three gold miners occurred in Guyana’s western Cuyuni region near the border with Venezuela.

Two other men working at the pit were pulled from the soil and rushed to a local hospital for treatment. They are in stable condition.

For years, similar accidents have occurred in the South American country’s remote interior. Guyana’s small-scale mining industry has expanded rapidly to capitalise on high gold prices.

Guyana’s mining commission has sent investigators to the area to probe the deadly accident and raise awareness about safety standards.