Roughly 10-15 per cent of Peru’s gold comes from artisan or informal miners
LIMA, June 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — At least 14 people were killed in a clash between groups of small-scale gold miners in southern Peru’s Arequipa department, the local prosecutor’s office said.
Seven bodies were found Saturday with gunshot wounds, and seven more were found on Tuesday, while more bodies could be discovered as several people remain missing, Arequipa prosecutor Maria del Rosario Lozada told the Peruvian news network Radio Programas del Peru.
The violence broke out June 2 in a disputed area called Huanaquita in the Atico district, Caraveli province, according to local newspaper El Comercio.
Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with the incident and will run ballistics tests on the firearms and ammunition recovered to determine their role in the event, said Lozada.
The prosecutor’s office is analyzing videos and audios of the incident to identify those responsible.
Luis Pacheco, head of the Arequipa police, said traffic remains restricted on the South Pan-American Highway, where local residents blocked the road Tuesday to demand authorities take action following the clash. — NNN-XINHUA
