Tragedy in Peru: 27 miners killed in a gold mine fire | In the province of Condisuyos, Arequipa

authorities Arequipa, Peru This Sunday I mentioned that 27 miners were killed after a fire at a gold mine in the south of the country. According to police and prosecution personnel, a short circuit could have caused a fire in the shaft La Esperanza 1, in the province of Condisuyos.

“The information we have from the police station is Hm) 27 deceased inside the mineProsecutor Giovanni Matos reported to N channel from the TV.

The tunnel affected by the fire is operated by Minera Yanaquihuaa medium-sized company that has been in operation for 23 years and extracts about 15,000 ounces of gold annually, according to information from their website.

How did the fire start?

based on the reports, The fiend, followed by an explosion, would have spread on SaturdayHowever, it was only until Sunday that the police had confirmation of the victims.

The fire devoured the wooden supports of the gold storewhich operate legally according to the first copies collected by the authorities. At the moment there are no official reports of workers injured or trapped in the place.

Peru is the largest producer of gold in Latin AmericaTherefore, a high degree of informality in mining activity Makes accidents very frequent. However, this fire is one of the worst in recent years.

One of the fatal victims was identified by his relatives as Federico Mamani, 51.. “We found out that 27 workers died,” his brother said in a local television interview.

Local media in Arequipa reported that the victims could have been buried at a depth of about 100 meters in a straight line. Many relatives came to the nearest police station to the scene of the tragedy to request information about rescue efforts.

Mining, a job with a high rate of informality in Peru

Mining is one of the drivers of the Peruvian economy with a share of 8.3% in the GDPPeru is the second largest producer of silver, copper and zinc in the world. But also the number one producer of gold, zinc, tin, lead and molybdenum in Latin America, according to official data.

but, The high degree of informality in the mining activity makes accidents very frequent. In 2020, four workers died after being trapped inside an artisanal mine damaged by a landslide, also in Arequipa.