The government of the country has said that eighteen workers trapped in a gold mine in northwest Colombia have been rescued by emergency employees for about 18 hours.

According to the AFP news agency, after equipment failure, miners were trapped on Thursday in the El Minone mine in the Antioquia area of Columbia.

After the 12-hour rescue operation, all the workers are in good health, the National Mining Agency (ANM) of Columbia said.

In a letter sent to the government, the local mayor in Remedios said that the mine was clearly without license.

According to the Energy Minister of Columbia, the operation to free the miners after 03:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Friday ended.

The rescue video featured the miners’ colleagues clapping and cheering as they exited the mine.

Yarli Erasmo Marin, a representative of a local miners association, told the AFP news agency that a mechanical failure led to the collapse of the structure designed to prevent landslides, blocking the main exhaust of the mine.

Local radio station ABC reported that when they were waiting to be rescued, oxygen was to be given to the miners trapped through the hoses.

ANM said in a statement that the mining community should “avoid illegal mining activities, which endanger the lives and security of the involved and also affect the resources and environment of the country”.

Mining accidents in Colombia are not uncommon and dozens of deaths have been recorded in recent years.