Peruvian authorities announced on Monday the discovery of the bodies of 27 miners killed in a fire at a gold mine in the southern region of Arequipa.
The fire, which was apparently followed by an explosion, broke out on Saturday at a depth of 100 meters.
The disaster is one of the country’s worst mining tragedies in decades, given that Peru is Latin America’s largest gold producer.
According to James Caschino, the mayor of Yanaquihua, where the La Esperanca mine is located, the fire was caused by electrical contact, and most of the victims died from suffocation and burns.
“The bodies of 27 workers have been found,” the mayor of radio station RBB said.
A police statement said 175 workers were safely evacuated after the crash.
The mining sector is the cornerstone of the country’s economy and accounts for 8.3 percent of the gross domestic product, given that Peru is the first producer of gold, zinc, lead and tin in Latin America, according to official statistics.
It is worth noting that in 2022, 39 people died as a result of accidents related to mine exploration, according to the Ministry of Energy and Subsoil Use.
Source: AFP.