At least twenty-seven workers died in a fire in a gold mine in the region of Arequipa, in the south of Peru, announced on Sunday May 7, the authorities.
The fire, which seems to have been followed by an explosion, would have occurred on Saturday at a depth of 100 meters but the police could not confirm the number of victims until Sunday. “ The information we have indicates that 27 died inside the mine. “, declared the prosecutor Giovanni Matos on the television channel N.
A short circuit is believed to be the cause of the fire that occurred in a gallery of the La Esperanza mine, located in the province of Condesuyos, in a remote area of the Arequipa region, said representatives of the police and the wooden floor.
” We managed to enter the mine for recovery operations ” And ” twelve corpses were recovered said police in a statement. Members of the families of the victims presented themselves at the nearest police station to the site in an attempt to obtain information on the operations in progress.
Condolences from the Presidency
The government of President Dina Boluarte expressed its condolences in a tweet. ” The Ministries of Interior and Defense have been working since the beginning of this tragedy to save and transfer the bodies “, wrote the presidency.
Expresamos nuestras condolencias a los familiares y al pueblo de Arequipa por la muerte de los 27 mineros, hecho ocurrido en el sector de Yanaquihua, provincia de Condesuyos en Arequipa.
Los ministerios @MininterPeru there @MindefPeru trabajan desde el inicio de esta tragedia en el…
— Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) May 7, 2023
For his part, the mayor of Yanaquihua, James Casquino, informed the national news agency Andina that most of the workers had died of asphyxiation and burns. According to him, the short circuit was caused by the collapse of some rocks.
The mining sector is a major pillar of the country’s economy, corresponding to 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.
(With AFP)