The bodies of the 27 workers who died this weekend in a fire in a gold mine in the region of Arequipa, in the south of Peru, have been recovered, authorities announced on Monday.
The fire, which appears to have been followed by an explosion, is said to have occurred on Saturday at a depth of 100 meters but the police could not confirm the number of victims until Sunday.
It is one of the worst mining tragedies in decades in Peru, Latin America's largest gold producer.
It was caused by a short circuit, and most of the workers died of suffocation and burns, according to James Casquino, mayor of Yanaquihua, where the La Esperanza mine is located.
"The bodies of the 27 workers have been recovered," he told RPP radio on Monday.
Sunday evening, twelve bodies could be brought up by the rescuers, but the operations had to be interrupted due to the accumulation of toxic gases, according to Mr. Casquino.
Minera Yanaquihua, which operates in this mine, is a medium-sized gold production company founded in 2000 in the Arequipa region. In a statement, it said 175 workers emerged unscathed from the accident.
The mining sector is a major pillar of the country's economy, accounting for 8.3% of GDP.
Second world producer of copper, silver and zinc, Peru is the first producer of gold, zinc, lead, tin and molybdenum in Latin America, according to official statistics.
In 2022, 39 people died in mining-related incidents, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
08/05/2023 20:29:12 - Lima (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
