A fire that broke out early on Saturday in a mine in the Andean region of Arequipa left 27 workers dead, making it the worst tragedy recorded in mines in Peru since 2000.
Official sources said on Tuesday that the bodies of 27 miners who died in the accident were recovered on Sunday night by a team of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) who arrived in the remote mountainous area where the Esperanza I mine is located, in the province from Arequipa to Condesuyos .
The bodies of the victims will undergo an autopsy in accordance with the law before being handed over to their relatives.
The owner of the mine was the one who notified the authorities and announced that the yet-to-be-determined causes of the accident were due to a short circuit that could have started a fire followed by a landslide.
Footage published in the local press and on social media shows a large column of black smoke coming out of one of the mine cavities.
A contingency plan was launched following the incident, resulting in the evacuation of 175 workers, the company said in a statement.
This is the sixth fatality reported this year in mines in Peru, where the sector contributes 10% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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