* Six killed in cave-in at Venezuela mine

by pankaj kumar | August 24, 2010 at 10:21 pm

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Venezuela authorities has confermed the death of miners who were traped under the mines after an accident happened there .

Caracas, Aug 25 (AFP) A cave-in at an abandoned gold mine in eastern Venezuela has killed six illegal miners and injured another two, officials said.

The deadly rockfall happened in El Callao, in the state of Bolivar yesterday, at a mine given up by the Canadian company Crystallex in 2008.

"On Monday night, a tragic accident occurred. Six compatriots, miners, lost their lives and two other compatriots were injured," Industry and Mining Minister Jose Khan told public VTV television.

The miners "opened four tunnels in very unstable, clay-like ground and used hammers which provoked the cave-in due to the vibrations," Khan said.

The minister added that the army turned away some 40 illegal miners from the site earlier on Monday but that "a smaller group remained and continued to work during the nigh