Frames of videos on social networks show the fire in the Arequipa mine, this Saturday.RR.SS
At least 27 miners who extracted gold have died of suffocation in a mine called Esperanza 1 in a tragedy that has shocked Peru and that originated from a fire that occurred early Saturday possibly due to a short circuit.
The deaths have been confirmed this Sunday by the prosecutor Giovanni Mattos.
The mine where the catastrophe occurred is located in the Yanaquihua district, Condesuyos province, in the Arequipa region.
The flames spread rapidly through the wooden props that support the deposit for the extraction of gold.
The mayor of Yanaquihua, James Casquino, reported that two people managed to be rescued.
His testimony is expected to be essential to clarify the facts.
It was the owner of the mine, Esteban Rey Huamaní Urday, who notified the authorities.
It was not easy: there is no telephone signal in the area and he had to go to the nearest police station, which is an hour and a half away.
The misfortune occurred during a working day and it is presumed that there may be more trapped miners.
“We only know that a short circuit caused the fire;
However, I believe that the company is responsible for this fact due to a bad connection”, expressed the daughter of one of the deceased in the midst of the shock.
Other relatives have denounced that the Yanaquihua mining company has not yet provided them with details of what happened.
According to the authorities, this company is engaged in small-scale mining of gold and other metals.
Of the 27 victims, six are from the same region of Arequipa, 15 are from Puno, four from Cusco, one from Junín and one from Lima.
They held positions as drillers, motorists and supervisors.
The Regional Government of Arequipa reported that it had sent three ambulances and health personnel to the area.
For its part, the National Police sent 30 agents, who will be in charge of recovering the bodies.
Three rescuers were injured in the rescue operation.
“We are asking specialized personnel to come to see if there are more people to be rescued or more deceased.
We are coordinating both with the regional government and with ministries, such as Energy and Mines and the Interior so that there is the corresponding intervention”, declared Mayor Casquino, who regretted that valuable time has been lost.
“We only found out at three in the afternoon on Saturday.
It was already late, ”he added.
This mining accident in Arequipa is the most serious that has occurred in Peru since 2000, according to statistics from the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
During the past year, 38 people lost their lives in different mining accidents in the country.
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