Potosí mining region faces fatal accidents and structural instability

The Potosí mining region in Bolivia is facing dual crises involving fatal accidents and structural instability at the historic Cerro Rico. Three miners, aged 33, 40, and 42, recently died in separate accidents at the Caracoles section of the Unificada Cooperative, the Porco mining center, and the 20 de Octubre Cooperative. The fatalities resulted from falls from heights of approximately 20 to 30 meters. These deaths bring the total number of mining-related fatalities in Potosí for 2026 to 121, consisting of 109 men and 12 women.

Simultaneously, the Cerro Rico massif has triggered alarms following a dense cloud of dust rising from its summit, indicating a new sinkhole or collapse. This phenomenon occurs within a site that has suffered from over 500 years of continuous mining, leaving its interior structurally compromised. There are currently 153 identified sinkholes in the area, with 28 remaining active and open. The site, a UNESCO World Heritage site in danger, continues to face structural voids caused by the extraction of silver oxides despite judicial prohibitions.