13 workers from the gold mine Podereosa, who went missing, were found dead on Sunday, presumably killed by hired killers in a mine located in northern Peru, local media reported, citing sources from the victims' families.
The bodies were discovered with gunshot wounds to the head and neck after their disappearance, and they are currently being retrieved by the police, according to the images published on the Epicentro TV portal and on the Sunday program Panorama on their social media accounts.
"A week ago, the relatives of the victims reported their disappearance in the province of Pataz, declared in a state of emergency due to violence linked to illegal mining," confirmed the América Televisión channel. "13 workers, who provided safety at the Podereosa mine, turned out to be dead."
The Podereosa mine reported that illegal miners, in collusion with criminals, killed 13 workers who provided services to one contractor, with whom the company had a contract for extraction.
The company expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the families of the victims and lamented that violence continues to escalate in the region, affecting those who work in this area.
The Podereosa mine is located in the province of Pataz in the La-Libertad department and was declared in a state of emergency due to increased organized crime associated with illegal mining, which has led to numerous attacks on miners and their infrastructure.
"It draws attention that last week the Peruvian national police mobilized more than 800 agents for operations, which unfortunately did not lead to larger inspections of illegal mines located in the collision zones," the officials added.
In the same province of Pataz, attacks by alleged illegal miners on workers from the Aracoto mining camp led to eight injuries, including two police officers, who were evacuated by helicopter.
