BOGOTA, COLOMBIA — Fourteen miners are trapped in a coal mine in northern Colombia after an underground explosion, the mayor of the town said on Tuesday.

A miner who was above ground at the time was injured by the explosion Monday afternoon, sustaining “burns all over his body,” according to mayor Manuel Pradilla of Zulia, near the Venezuelan border.

The man was in a stable condition in hospital.

“We are not losing hope, we hope that the 14 trapped people can be found alive,” Pradilla told Colombian TV.

Family members of the missing miners gathered at the site, many in tears, waiting for news from rescue workers searching for survivors.

The cause of the blast was as yet unknown.

Mining and crude oil represent Colombia’s main exports.

Latin America’s fourth largest economy recorded 148 fatalities in mining accidents in 2021.