AFP, published Sunday 07 May 2023 at 20:27
At least 27 workers died in a fire at a gold mine in the Arequipa region (south) of Peru, authorities said on Sunday.
A short circuit is believed to have been the cause of the fire in an adit at the La Esperanza mine in Condesuyos province in a remote area of the Arequipa region, officials from the police and Parquet present at the site said.
“The information we have indicates 27 deaths at the mine,” prosecutor Giovanni Matos told N.
The fire, which appeared to be followed by an explosion, would have occurred at a depth of 100 meters on Saturday, but police were not informed until Sunday that there had been casualties.
Emergency services began securing the mine Sunday so they could enter. “We need to make sure the place where the bodies are is safe so we can enter and recover them,” the prosecutor said.
Family members of the victims presented themselves to the nearest police station for information on ongoing operations.
Minera Yanaquihua, operating this mine, is a mid-tier gold producing company established in 2000 in the Yanaquihua district of the Arequipa region.
The mining sector is a major pillar of the country’s economy, accounting for 8.3% of GDP. According to official statistics, Peru is the second largest producer of copper, silver and zinc and the largest producer of gold, zinc, lead, tin and molybdenum in Latin America.
In 2020, four miners were trapped in the collapse of an artisanal mine, also in the Arequipa region.