LIMA, Peru (AP) – At least 27 workers have died on the night shift after a fire broke out deep in a gold mine in southern Peru, Peruvian officials said.
Mining company Yanaquihua said in a statement that 175 workers had been safely evacuated after the accident that occurred late Friday or early Saturday. Twenty-seven of the dead were said to have worked for contractors specializing in mining.
A government official said the cause of the fire was under investigation. According to some news reports, preliminary investigations indicated that the explosion may have been caused by a short circuit in part of the mine about 100 meters (330 feet) below the surface. Relatives of the victims were taken by bus to a mine in Yanakiwa, Arequipa state, and informed by security forces. Some sat in front of posters at the entrance to the mines, waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.
Marcelina Aguirre said her husband had also died. She said she was told by him that the mine was risky.
“We are very worried. It is very sad to lose her husband and leave her two children behind,” she said. The Arequipa Financial District Public Affairs Ministry said investigators were working to find out what happened. “During the course of the investigation, prosecutors will determine the cause of the tragic event and the culpability of those involved,” the statement said.
