Accident traps at least 25 miners in Nicaragua, gov't-backed site says

MANAGUA - At least 25 miners were trapped in a gold mine in Nicaragua's far north on Thursday after a collapse, a government-backed news website and other media reported, adding that rescue efforts would continue through the night.

Two miners may have been killed in the collapse at the Bonanza mining project, about 260 miles (420 km) northeast of the capital Managua, the El 19 Digital website said. "The rescue will not be easy," the website quoted Marta Lagos, an official with President Daniel Ortega's ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front, as saying.

Antonio Lopez, an official with Nicaragua's national disaster prevention agency, told Reuters that between 20 and 25 miners were trapped but had no further details.

The Bonanza project is operated by Nicaraguan firm Hemco and is owned by Colombian company Mineros S.A.. The project, which began in 1995, produces around 37,300 troy ounces of gold a year, according to Hemco's website.

Neither Hemco nor Mineros S.A. were immediately available for comment.