Space Travel News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Venezuela military evicts hundreds from illegal gold mine
Venezuela military evicts hundreds from illegal gold mine
by AFP Staff Writers
Caracas (AFP) March 3, 2024

Venezuelan soldiers have evicted more than 1,200 people, many of them children, from an illegal gold mine that claimed 16 lives when it collapsed last month, the armed forces said Sunday.

The group included 131 minors evicted from the Bulla Loca mine in the Bolivar state in the Amazon region, general Domingo Hernandez Larez of the armed forces' operational command said in a message on X. He did not provide a time frame.

Evictions were continuing, as was the dismantling of illegal mining structures erected in the La Paragua Forest Reserve, he added.

"Protecting nature is everyone's task!" said Hernandez Larez.

The Bolivar region is rich in gold, diamonds, iron, bauxite, quartz and coltan. Aside from state mines, there is also a booming industry of illegal extraction.

Sixteen people died when the Bulla Loca open pit mine caved in last month. In December last year, 12 died when a mine in the Indigenous community of Ikabaru, in the same region, collapsed.

The NGO SOS Orinoco says at least 54 people died in 17 mining incidents in the Bolivar and Amazonas states between 2017 and 2022.

Activists denounce "ecocide" in the area and the exploitation of children who work long hours without protection.

Authorities say illegal miners fell and burn trees, contaminate water and engage in underground drilling that is damaging to the environment and harmful to Indigenous communities.

Last July, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the deployment of the armed forces to counter a scourge he said was "destroying the Amazon of South America... and Venezuela."

Since then, some 14,000 illegal miners have been evicted from the Yapacana National Park in Amazon state, where vast areas were devastated by mining.

Rights activists have denounced excessive use of force during evictions of illegal mines where foreigners from Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador also operate.

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Mexico City flights canceled as volcano spews ash
Mexico City (AFP) Feb 28, 2024
Ash spewing from the Popocatepetl volcano outside Mexico City on Tuesday led some airlines to cancel around two dozen flights in and out of the Latin American capital, authorities said. The Mexico City International Airport said on social media that national and international operators have canceled 22 flights "due to airplane safety checks having found ashes." The airport's arrivals and departures log, seen by AFP, showed cancellations and delays, though the causes weren't listed. Authoriti ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Study reveals potential for life's building blocks from Mars' ancient atmosphere

Little Groundwater Recharge in Ancient Mars Aquifer, According to New Models

Three years later, search for life on Mars continues

Mining Into Mineral King: Sols 4110-4111

FROTH AND BUBBLE
NASA and SpaceX complete docking system tests for Lunar Starship Lander

ILOA receives first lunar surface and descent images from ILO-X

To the Moon and back: NASA's Artemis II crew rehearses splashdown

As mission ends, US lunar lander could still 'wake' back up

FROTH AND BUBBLE
New moons of Uranus and Neptune announced

NASA's New Horizons Detects Dusty Hints of Extended Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Jupiter Mission will be packed with humanity's messages

UCF scientists use James Webb Space Telescope to uncover clues about Neptune's evolution

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Hold on to your atmospheres: how planet size affects atmospheric escape

CUTE's groundbreaking design paves the way for future small-scale space missions

Earth as a test object

Space research sheds new light on formation of planets

FROTH AND BUBBLE
MAPHEUS 14 high-altitude research rocket takes flight

HyImpulse readies SR75 rocket for historic maiden launch in Australia

Karman Space and Defense boosts ULA's Vulcan on Its Maiden flight

Orbit Fab Announces Strategic Leadership Reorganization to Propel Space Refueling Innovation

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Chang'e 6 and new rockets highlight China's packed 2024 space agenda

Long March 5 deploys Communication Technology Demonstrator 11 satellite

Shenzhou 17 astronauts complete China's first in-space repair job

Tiangong Space Station's Solar Wings Restored After Spacewalk Repair by Shenzhou XVII Team

FROTH AND BUBBLE
DART impact might have reshaped Hera's target asteroid

NASA's Planetary Radar Images Slowly Spinning Asteroid

Emirates mission to the asteroid belt complets PDR

Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.