The tragedy happened in the early hours of Saturday by a fire in a gold mine that operated legally in a remote area of the Arequipa region, in southern Perulocal authorities reported.
According to members of the Police and the Prosecutor’s Office present at the scene, the origin of the fire was a short circuit that would have caused a fire in the shaft of the La Esperanza 1 mine, in the province of Condesyos.
So far it has been reported that 27 miners were found dead at the site. The victims would have been buried at a depth of about 100 meters in a straight line, according to local media in Arequipa. There are still no official reports of workers being injured or trapped at the site.
The fire is one of the worst mining accidents in recent years in Peru, the largest gold producer in Latin America.
As a result of the case, from the Government of Peruspoke about the issue on their Twitter account: “We express our condolences to the relatives and the people of Arequipa for the death of the 27 miners, an event that occurred in the Yanaquihua sector, Condesuyos province in Arequipa.”
And then they continued: “The ministries have been working since the beginning of this tragedy to rescue and transfer the bodies. As a government, we will provide all the necessary support to the regional government and the Municipality of Condesuyos in these moments of pain.”
