At least 27 workers died in a fire at a gold mine in the Arequipa region (south) of Peru, authorities said on Sunday, saying in the evening that 12 bodies had been recovered by rescue teams.
“We managed to enter the mine for body recovery operations” and “12 bodies were recovered,” police said in a statement.
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 unable to confirm the death toll until Sunday.
Family members of the victims presented themselves to the nearest police station for information on ongoing operations.
The government of President Dina Boluarte expressed its condolences in a tweet.
“The Departments of Interior and Defense have been working to recover and transfer the bodies since the beginning of this tragedy,” the presidency wrote.
For his part, Yanaquihua Mayor James Casquino told the national news agency Andina that most of the workers died from asphyxiation and burns.
According to him, the short circuit was caused by the collapse of some rocks.
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.