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Cajamarca Coal Mine Collapse Leaves Two Dead, One Rescued

Unstable, unventilated workings coupled with scarce specialized gear have constrained efforts to safely recover a remaining body.

Overview

  • Authorities identified the deceased as Ángel Lumba Huacal and Pascual Saavedra Hoyos, and confirmed that Román Lumba Herrera was rescued alive and taken to José Soto Cadenillas Hospital in Chota.
  • Rescuers recovered one body, while the other remains in a high‑risk section of the socavón where fresh slides and poor ventilation have repeatedly forced pauses.
  • The collapse in the Rosas Pampa coal tunnel in Chalamarca sealed the main access at roughly 150–200 meters of length, complicating contact and airflow for teams inside.
  • Community ronderos, health brigades from RIS Chota and CPCED, the National Police, and the Ministerio Público coordinated largely manual operations because of the fragile geology and limited equipment.
  • Relatives and neighbors criticized the lack of specialized rescue teams and oxygen systems, and the incident revived calls for safer, formalized small‑scale mining as Congress recently extended the REINFO registry to 2026.