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Burning boat on the Madeira river
Photo: Edmar Barros / AP
In the fight against illegal gold prospecting, Brazilian authorities burned 69 boats.
Brazil's Justice Minister Anderson Torres posted a video of the action on Twitter.
It shows burning boats on the banks of Madeira, a tributary of the Amazon.
Rumors of gold discoveries had triggered a real gold rush in the region.
At least 300 dredging boats gathered on the Madeira in the past week.
According to the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, many boats were relocated to other locations in the region by Saturday.
Greenpeace also published photos of the boats.
The action shows that Brazil is able to protect rivers, forests and indigenous communities.
Such a procedure is also necessary in other regions that have been badly damaged by illegal gold mining.
Gold from such sources is a big problem in Brazil: According to a report by the state university in the state of Minas Gerais and the Brazilian public prosecutor's office, only 34 percent of the total of 174 tons of gold mined in Brazil in 2019 and 2020 were of proven legal origin.
jpz / AFP
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