Peru: At least 27 workers have been killed in a fire at a gold mine in southern Peru. Officials said on Sunday that the blaze in a tunnel inside the La Esperanza 1 mine was caused by a short circuit. The tragedy of a gold mine fire in a remote area of southern Peru is one of the worst mining tragedies in the country. Yanaquihua Mining Company said in a statement that a total of 175 workers had been evacuated. It said the 27 deceased worked for a contractor who specialized in mining.
Preliminary investigation suggests that a short circuit may have caused the blast. Public prosecutor Giovanni Matos told Channel N television that “there were 27 dead people inside the mine”, reports AFP.
Local media initially reported that the fire started after an explosion at the mine. However, the explosion set fire to the wooden supports in the mine. According to reports, the workers were 100 meters below the ground.
A rescue operation was launched and local media reported that rescuers were trying to secure the mine before removing the bodies.
Yanaquihua Mayor James Casquino told the Andina news agency that most of the workers may have died of suffocation and burns.
At present, there is no information of any survivor. Along with this, it has not been confirmed that how many people were in the mine at the time of the fire.