At least 27 workers died inside a gold mine in southern Peru, due to a fire. According to local police reports, twelve bodies have already been recovered. A short circuit allegedly triggered the tragedy in the “La Esperanza 1” tunnel, a mine that operated legally in the city of Yanaquihua, in the department of Arequipa. The fire, apparently followed by an explosion, would have spread on Saturday, but the police could only confirm the number of victims until Sunday.
The condolences of the Peruvian presidency
At the moment there is no official news about survivors and the exact number of workers present in the mine at the time of the accident is not even known. Meanwhile, the government of Dina Boluarte has expressed its condolences through a tweet. “The Ministries of Interior and Defense have worked since the beginning of this tragedy to recover and transfer the bodies,” the presidency wrote.
Deaths from suffocation and burns
Yanaquihua Mayor James Casquino told the press that most of the workers died of suffocation and burns. According to what he reported, the short circuit would have been generated by the collapse of some rocks. The victims were allegedly buried at a depth of approximately 100 meters in a straight line. The mine is operated by Minera Yanaquihua, a company that has been in operation for 23 years and extracts approximately 15,000 ounces of gold annually. It is not the first time that similar tragedies have taken place in the country. Last year alone, 39 people died in events associated with mining, the Ministry of Energy and Mines reported.
Source-tg24.sky.it