LIMA: Thirteen people were found dead inside a mine in Peru after being kidnapped days earlier in the northern area of Pataz, the mining company Poderosa said Sunday.
“This morning, after intense search efforts, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers who were kidnapped (…) by illegal miners in collusion with criminal elements,“ the company said in a statement.
Mining is a key economic driver in Peru, one of the largest gold producers in Latin America.
Pataz, located around 560 miles (900 kilometers) from the capital Lima, is in a state of emergency due to escalating violence caused by a gold rush there.
The victims found Sunday worked for a company that provided services to Poderosa, a major gold mining firm listed on the Lima stock exchange that has in recent months been targeted by armed groups linked to illegal mining.
“The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz is occurring despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent which, unfortunately, has not been able to halt the deterioration of security conditions in the area,“ the mining company said.
Peru’s interior ministry said it had deployed organized crime investigators to probe the deaths, warning its agents “are fully empowered to use their firearms if the circumstances warrant it.”
In the city of Trujillo, west of Pataz, some of the victims’ relatives waited for the bodies of their loved ones to be transferred to the morgue there.
“We want justice, that this doesn’t just stop here,“ Abraham Dominguez, whose son Alexander was found dead inside the mine, told the Canal N television station.
Peru is experiencing a wave of extortion and violent crime that has led authorities to declare a state of emergency in several parts of the country.
