Peru, 27 dead in a gold mine. First the fire, then the collapse: the asphyxiated victims

Twenty-seven miners died in the fire and subsequent collapse of a gold mine in Peru’s Arequipa region. This was reported by the authorities in a statement which explains that the accident, which occurred in the Yanaquihua mine in the province of Condesuyos, was caused by a short circuit and that part of the entrance structure of the mine collapsed, blocking the exit.

According to the testimony given to the police by the mine owner himself, the 27 people died of asphyxiation inside the structure. On the spot, according to the authorities, units of firefighters and rescuers are at work and several ambulances have rushed.