Miners were finishing their shift when rock and mud fell on top of them, trapping 17 of them. The accident took place in the town of Timbiqui.
Timbiqui mayor Jose Victor Amu Sinisterra was quoted by Colombia Reports as telling El Tiempo newspaper, "There is an immense amount of distress in the community from seeing so many people disappear in one moment.
"Relief is on its way to the area, and we hope that at a departmental level help is given to help us overcome this emergency.
"We ask for a lot of support to address the situation, since we haven’t been able to control it."
The latest incident comes around two months after a similar incident near Santander de Quilichao that left at least 12 dead.
According to Colombia Ministry of Mines and Energy’s data 63% of the mines in the country do not have proper licenses.
