Peru –
Thirteen kidnapped people found dead in a mine
The state of emergency was established in the city of Pataz, in the north of Peru, because of the escalation of violence caused by the gold rush.
Posted: 04.05.2025, 10:50 p.m.
The victims are employees of a company service provider in Poderosa, an important gold extraction company listed on the Lima Stock Exchange. (Illustration image)
AFP
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- Thirteen employees of a mining company were found dead after their kidnapping in Pataz.
- Poderosa is undergoing regular attacks on groups linked to illegal gold.
- The state of emergency in Pataz did not prevent the death of thirty-nine people.
Thirteen people were found dead Sunday in a mine a few days after being removed in the city of Pataz, on the highlands of northern Peru, said the Poderosa mining company, owner of the facilities where the events occurred.
The victims are employees of a company service provider of Poderosa, an important gold extraction company listed on the Lima Stock Exchange, which has been targeted in recent months by armed groups linked to illegal gold extraction.
“This morning, after intense research work, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers who had been kidnapped (…) by illegal minors in collusion with criminal elements,” the company said in a statement.
“Spiral of uncontrolled violence”
The state of emergency was established in Pataz, located 900 kilometers from the capital Lima, due to the escalation of violence caused by the gold rush. According to Poderosa, “there are already 39 artisanal employees and minors killed by the criminal gangs that have taken control of the city.
“The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz occurs despite the state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent which, unfortunately, has not been able to stop the deterioration of security conditions in the region,” said the mining company, in an “urgent call” to rethink the government’s strategy.
In the city of Trujillo, at nine o’clock in the west of Pataz, the parents of certain victims were waiting for the bodies of their relatives to be transported to the morgue. “We want justice to be done, that it does not stop there,” said television channel Canal N Abraham Domínguez, father of Alexander Domínguez, whose body was found inside the mine.
The president involved
The mayor of Pataz, Aldo Carlos, said that he would meet the president Dina Boluarte on Monday to seek solutions to insecurity. “What’s going on in my city hurts. (…) If they put me in prison or kill me, the sole manager will be the central government, “he said, upset.
Between 2013 and 2023, the Peru financial intelligence unit identified $ 8.241 billion (6.81 billion francs) of transactions suspected of coming from illegal mining. Peru is experiencing a wave of extortion and violent crimes which led the authorities to declare the state of emergency in several regions of the country.
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