"The dedication ... of the more than 40 members of the mining rescue team @ANMColombia and emergency agencies allowed the recovery of the bodies of the 11 victims of the accident that occurred in Neira, Caldas," mines minister Diego Mesa tweeted on Sunday.

"We are wholeheartedly with the families of these 11 young people and the entire community of the village of El Bosque and the municipality of Irra. We are with you in these difficult times," Mesa said in another tweet.

Teams have been trying to reach people trapped in an illegal mine in Neira, in the department of Caldas, for 24 days.

According to the newspaper El Espectador, it is the longest rescue effort ever undertaken in the country.

The first body was reportedly found on Saturday morning.

The workers got trapped on March 26 after heavy rains caused the river Cauca to overrun, flooding the illegal mine, according to Mesa.

Illegal mining is a problem in several Latin American countries and severe accidents repeatedly happen in insufficiently secured shafts.

The activity is also responsible for environmental damage.

Australian Associated Press