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Lima: A fire at a small gold mine in southern Peru has killed 27 people. Officials said on Sunday that it has become the country’s deadliest mining accident in more than two decades.
On the incident, the Peruvian government said that a short-circuit started the fire on Saturday morning in the southern region of Arequipa. Pictures on local media and social media also showed smoke billowing from the scene. The mine is operated by Yanquihua, a small-scale firm. However, the company did not comment on the incident.
Local media reported that the Yanaquihua police station had confirmed that 27 people had died in the incident. Peru is the world’s top gold producer and second largest copper producer. According to data from Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, the incident is the deadliest mining accident since 2000. In 2022, 38 people were killed in mining accidents across the country. The year 2002 was Peru’s deadliest year, when 73 people died in various mining accidents.
Let us tell you that Peru is the world’s top gold and second largest copper producing country. According to data from Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, the incident is the deadliest mining accident since 2000. Accidents related to mining keep happening here. Last year, around 38 people had died across the country. In 2002, about 73 people were killed in different mining accidents in Peru.
