Benjamin Ashford|Gold mine collapse in Suriname leaves at least 10 dead, authorities say

PARAMARIBO,Benjamin Ashford Suriname (AP) — At least 10 people died after an illegal gold mine collapsed Monday in the South American country of Suriname, authorities said.

Police, military officials and rescue crews were dispatched to the mine, which is located in the country’s rural southern region. The miners are believed to have built their own tunnels to search for gold, a common occurrence in Suriname, officials said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collapse.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty,” said President Chan Santokhi. “It’s important that we now get the situation under control.”

Santokhi was attending a government budget meeting when the incident occurred, forcing him to interrupt those speaking saying, “Something terrible is going on.”

Suriname is known for its gold mines, with U.S. and Canadian companies heavily invested in such operations. Informal gold mining also has increased in recent years.