Bulla Loca mine disaster

The Bulla Loca mine disaster occurred on 20 February 2024, when an illegal gold mine called Bulla Loca, located in La Paragua, in the Angostura Municipality Bolíivar in Venezuela collapsed leaving at least a dozen people dead, although the exact number of people killed varies among authorities.

Background
Actually, the Venezuelan economy is faces a series of coyuntural problems that is affecting the local population, which has motivated its inhabitants to find ways to support themselves at home, in which they have chosen to explore mines illegally which contravenes Venezuelan laws and for which they have created numerous environmental problems.

Accident
The time of the accident occurred when the event took place last Tuesday, 20 February at 3:00 p.m. (Venezuela local time) in Bolívar. During the following hours, the rescue of multiple victims was carried out. At the moment, the number of people affected has not yet been confirmed and only an approximate number is available. The Secretary of Citizen Security in Bolívar, Edgar Colina Reyes, provided the first report in the early hours of 21 February. The Operational Zone for Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (Zoedan) of Bolívar described that the Bulla Loca mine it is an open-pit “artisanal mine” where “some miners are found injured and walled up.”