Open-pit gold mine collapses in Venezuela, and dozens of people are feared dead

LA PARAGUA, Venezuela (AP) — Officials say an illegally operated open-pit gold mine has collapsed in central Venezuela while dozens of people were working there, leaving an undetermined number of people dead or trapped. The accident took place in the Angostura municipality on Tuesday at a mine known as Bulla Loca, which can only be reached by an hours-long boat ride. Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information says officials do not yet have a full tally of the victims, and no details of rescue efforts were released. Angostura’s mayor says he plans to take “some 30 caskets” to a community near the mine, indicating that officials fear the death toll could rise into the dozens.