At least 27 workers died in a gold deposit in southern Perubecause of a fire that unleashed one of the worst mining tragedies in this country with the highest production of that metal in Latin America.
A defective short circuit caused the fire in the La Esperanza 1 tunnel, a mine that operated legally in the town of Yanaquihua, in the department of Arequipa, according to authorities at the scene.
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The incident broke out during the early hours of Saturday. Local authorities confirmed the information: “The information is correct, it has been confirmed by the Yanaquihua police station, there are 27 deaths,” prosecutor Giovanni Matos told local television station Canal N.
Prosecutor Matos added: “It is a formal mine (…), we have to go see the place where the disappeared are, if it is safe so that the police and judicial personnel can go to do the proceedings.” According to statistics from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, this is the highest number of fatalities in a single mining accident since at least 2000.
The Regional Government confirmed that it was a small gold mine in southern Peru. Local authorities in Arequipa, together with the Ministry of the Interior, mobilized police, health personnel, and ambulances to help care for and rescue the victims.
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As reported by the British agency Reuters, the company decided not to send any statement in this regard.
Background
In 2002, the highest number of fatalities was obtained in different accidents in different Peruvian mines with 73 deaths.
Twenty years later, 38 people were reported missing in several mining accidents in the main gold producer in South America, where mining is a key industry for the country.
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