At 11:30 p.m. on April 30, 2014 local time, a wildcat gold mine collapsed in rural Santander de Quilichao, Cauca, Colombia.


The accident was caused by a landslide. By the morning of May 2, 2014 local time, three miners were killed, two were injured and 20 believed to have been buried. With six trained rescue dogs and several excavators, over 380 rescue workers were racing around the clock to remove the earth and rocks in search of possible survivors. "12 meters has been dug in the ground, and another four meters needs to be dug to progress the rescue work smoothly", said the Civil Defense Minister of Cauca Department.     


SANY Colombia and its dealer SANYMAQ contacted their customers nearby immediately on May 1 so that they could provide equipment for the rescue work. Up to now, five SANY excavators have participated in the rescue work.

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