The president of SOS Orinoco, Cristina Vollmer de Burelli, warned about the rise of illegal mining in southern Venezuela and the increase in deaths in mines in the state of Bolívar. In an interview with Noche D, he warned that extractive activity is advancing without state control and is generating ecocide in the Orinoco basin.
The president of SOS Orinoco, Cristina Vollmer de Burelli, warned about the rise of illegal mining in southern Venezuela and the increase in deaths in mines in the state of Bolívar. In interview with Night Dwarned that extractive activity is advancing without state control and is generating ecocide in the Orinoco basin.
In conversation with Víctor Amaya, Volmer de Burelli referred to the collapse that occurred at the Cuatro Esquinas mine, in El Callao, where seven bodies were recovered and at least 14 victims were reported. He pointed out that, unlike formal exploitations such as those in Chile, informal mining predominates in Venezuela, without safety measures, with precarious tunnels and without technical supervision.
«The regime of Nicolás Maduro irresponsibly promoted anarchy. Because of this hunger for gold, lives do not matter, laws do not matter, the environment does not matter.he stated. He explained that the vertical mines in the area are improvised excavations where “they often put young boys, even children, because they are skinny and can get into the tunnels.”
According to SOS Orinoco records, so far in 2025 there have been more than 40 deaths in mining accidents, although the figure could be higher, given that many cases occur in remote areas without access to official media or records.
Vollmer de Burelli explained that in addition to collapses and drownings, miners face poisoning from mercury inhalation, electric shocks and collapses in open pit mines. “The mining that is being done south of the Orinoco dates back to the 19th century,” he said.
The president of the organization denounced that the so-called Orinoco Mining Arc was decreed in 2016 without legislative approval and without meeting the requirements for consultation with indigenous communities. «That decree is illegal. What he did was formalize illegality, leaving everything in the hands of small groups and criminalized actors,” he said.
As he explained, the gold that is extracted does not mostly pass through the Central Bank of Venezuela, but rather is smuggled to Colombia, Brazil or Türkiye. «Only 20% of gold enters through the Central Bank. The rest is smuggled with the complicity of the National Guard, the Armed Forces and civil authorities,” he stated.
Vollmer de Burelli also pointed out an uptick in the extraction of cassiterite – a mineral associated with tin and used in electronic devices – and coltan, which he described as part of a “black market for rare earths” from which illegal networks inside and outside the country benefit.
During the interview, recent publications by journalist Fritz Sánchez were presented, who has documented with satellite images and videos the expansion of illegal mining in areas of the Caroní River, Alto Cuao, Yapacana and Cuyuní. SOS Orinoco confirmed that these activities destroy protected ecosystems and contaminate water sources.
«The Caroní is the second largest river in the country and the Guri hydroelectric system is located there. These mining ponds are destroying that system because the sediment they raise damages the turbines,” explained Volmer de Burelli.
Regarding the Yapacana National Park, he denounced that mining is carried out even on the top of the tepui, an area of unique biodiversity. «That is not replaced. “Once that vegetal layer is gone, it disappears forever.”he warned.
The spokesperson recalled that the most recent satellite report from SOS Orinoco, in conjunction with Amazon Conservation, confirms the return of the miners to Yapacana despite the military eviction operations carried out in 2023. “This only happens with permission and in complicity with the armed forces,” she assured.
Vollmer de Burelli regretted that while the Venezuelan State maintains restrictions on the access of journalists, doctors and activists to the region, aircraft and extraction machinery continue to operate freely. «If a doctor wants to go to treat indigenous people, they don’t let him enter, “But a helicopter with mining engines does arrive without a problem.”he denounced.
The interview concluded with a call to international attention. «We are facing an environmental and humanitarian emergency. The State has abandoned its protective role and has turned illegal mining into a source of political and military financing,” said the president of SOS Orinoco.
*Read also: Seventh body recovered from Cuatro Esquinas mine in El Callao
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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