An inferno at a gold mining site has killed 27 persons in Peru, authorities in the south American country have said.
The incident was the Country’s single deadliest mining accident for over twenty years, according to the municipal government.
The local government authority said the incident happened when a short circuit sparked a fire in the early hours of Saturday in the Southern region of Arequipa.
“It’s been confirmed by the Yanaquihua police station that there are 27 dead,” local prosecutor Giovanni Matos told local television on Sunday.
The country, Peru, is the top gold producer worldwide and the second largest copper producer.
Recall that last year 38 people were killed at a mining site in Peru.
In 2002 similar mining accidents resulted in the death of over 78 persons in the country