THIRTEEN security guards kidnapped from a major gold mine have been found dead as a bloody mining turf war grips the region.
The security staff disappeared in the mountains near Pataz, northern Peru, a week ago amid spiralling violence from illegal mining gangs.
The mining company that employed the workers, La Poderosa, said search-and-rescue teams recovered their remains on Sunday.
It said they has been abducted by illegal miners linked to criminal gangs on April 26.
The company announced on Sunday: “This morning, following extensive search efforts, the police rescue team successfully retrieved the bodies of the 13 workers who were abducted […] by illegal miners in partnership with criminal elements.”
They added: “The escalating violence in Pataz is happening despite the establishment of a state of emergency and the deployment of a significant police presence, which, regrettably, has not managed to prevent the worsening of security conditions in the region.”
Peru’s interior ministry stated that investigators specializing in organized crime are examining the deaths and assured that their officers are “fully authorized to use their firearms if the situation requires it.”
In the city of Trujillo, west of Pataz, some of the victims’ relatives waited for the bodies of their loved ones to be transferred to the morgue there.
Abraham Dominguez, whose son Alexander was found dead, told channel Canal N: “We want justice, that this doesn’t just stop here.”
Peru declared a state of emergency last month after being plagued by a wave of violent crime – with the mining industry a particularly vicious battleground.
La Poderosa said 39 of its workers had been killed by criminal groups fighting for control of the mines around Pataz since it began operations there in the 1980s.
In December 2023, illegal miners attacked the same site with explosives, killing nine people and wounding at least 20.
A gang armed with explosives and other weapons burst into the mine, taking four people hostage.
Bodies recovered from outside the mine showed signs of burns resulting from the detonation of explosive devices.
The attackers raided the mine, “violently confronting internal security personnel from the company“, Peru’s interior ministry said at the time.
At least seven arrests were made and weapons seized following that attack.
La Poderosa drafted in more security guards in response to the string of attacks.
Following the 2023 assault, Angela Grossheim, the head of the mining industry group SNMPE, said: “Formal mining is under attack.
“Illegal mining today is the country’s main illicit activity, even bigger than drug trafficking.”
Peru is a major gold and copper supplier for the world.
It has an unusual tolerance for illegal miners, which it allows to operation with some protections as they plan to legalize their operations.
Illegal mining boomed into a lucrative industry as the metals became more lucrative and new mining techniques emerged.
The Peruvian government has struggled to mount a response – and the turf wars are increasingly lawless.
