The mining company Poderosa confirmed the murder of 13 of its workers who had been kidnapped a week ago at a gold mine in Peru attacked by criminals. In a statement, Poderosa expressed its sorrow for the deaths of the 13 individuals, whom it described as 'cruelly murdered by criminals allied with illegal mining.'
The statement indicated that the case took place in the province of Pataz, where 'illegal miners colluded with criminals' forcibly took over the mine where the victims worked. According to police sources, the victims were found in a shaft, tied up, blindfolded, and naked, and they were executed with gunshots to the neck by the criminals.
Poderosa reported that a total of 39 miners and workers have been killed by criminal gangs in Pataz, describing the area as a lawless territory where violence spreads with impunity. The company urged the Peruvian government to review its strategy to combat crime and capture the criminals operating in the region.
The company warned that it will be impossible to combat crime if the Police do not intervene in the illegal mines, where criminal gangs take refuge and operate. The kidnapping of the workers gained national notoriety in Peru after it became known that the kidnappers were demanding ransoms from the families of the victims.
