JAKARTA - A gold mine fire in the remote Arequipa region of Peru killed at least miners, according to authorities.
The Arequipa local government stated that the fire in the tunnel was caused by an electrical short circuit. The fire reportedly spread rapidly through wooden blocks that support the mine so that miners could not get out.
"La Esperanza mine owner Esteban Rey Humani reported to the police station, which is three hours away from Aplao City, to ask for help and report 27 people have died due to shortness of breath," the relevant authorities said as reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 8.
The Peruvian Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed the death toll in the incident.
"Police officers are in Yanaquihua District to help get the dead miners out of the tunnel in Condesuyos Province," the ministry said on Twitter.
Local prosecutor Giovanni Matos told local media on Sunday, May 7, the 27 miners were confirmed dead.
Yanaquihua District Mayor James Casquino Escobar asked the authorities for help to investigate the cause of the tragedy.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
Escobar said that although the cause reported was an electrical short, the mining company did not provide additional information about the accident.
"This incident occurred on Saturday at 11 am and they did not immediately communicate about it, we only found out at 15.00 am," said Escobar.
"However, it was too late," he said.
The SAR team tried to save the miners before evacuating the bodies of the victims. Authorities did not rule out the possibility that there were still many people inside the mine.
This incident is the deadliest mining accident in two decades in Peru, the largest gold-producing country in Latin America.
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