BOGOTA

The methane blast occurred at around 1245 GMT at La Escondida mine in the central province of Cundinamarca, a spokesman from the state Institute of Geology and Mining told AFP.

It was not immediately clear if more casualties were feared.

President Juan Manuel Santos cut short a trip to Europe last week to be at the side of the victims of a blast last Wednesday that left 21 miners dead at a coal mine in the northeast of the country.

Mines Minister Carlos Rodado pointed last week to a glaring lack of resources and said the government needed to radically rethink its oversight of the industry.

Colombia is the world's fifth largest coal exporter.