13 kidnapped workers found dead in Peruvian mine

LIMA

Relatives of 13 workers found dead inside a gold mine wait outside the morgue in Trujillo, Peru on May 4, 2025.

Thirteen people were found dead inside a mine in Peru after being kidnapped days earlier in the northern area of Pataz, the mining company Poderosa said.

"This morning, after intense search efforts, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers who were kidnapped (...) by illegal miners in collusion with criminal elements," the company said in a statement.

Mining is a key economic driver in Peru, one of the largest gold producers in Latin America.

Pataz, located around 900 kilometers from the capital Lima, is in a state of emergency due to escalating violence caused by a gold rush there.

The victims found on May 4 worked for a company that provided services to Poderosa, a major gold mining firm listed on the Lima stock exchange that has in recent months been targeted by armed groups linked to illegal mining.

A major gold and copper supplier for the world, Peru is unique in allowing informal miners to operate with some protections as long as they plan to legalize their operations.

But illegal mining quickly boomed into a vast industry as the metals became increasingly lucrative, new mining techniques emerged and the government struggled to mount a response.

With much of Peru awash in a wave of crime that prompted the government to declare a state of emergency last month, reports of extortion from artisanal miners and entrepreneurs in the country's northern mining area have surged in recent months.