Nine Dead In Peru's Poderosa Mine After Armed Men Raid

Nine people were killed and 15 injured after armed men raided Peru's Poderosa mine with explosives and took hostages, the Interior Ministry said late on Saturday.

Police have "taken control of the situation," seven people have been arrested, and weapons have been seized, the ministry said in a statement, adding it had ordered special forces to the area to support local police.

The attackers entered the mine shaft using explosive charges, "violently confronting internal security personnel from the company and taking four people hostage," the ministry said.

In a statement, Ponderosa said 10 workers were seriously injured and three had light injuries.

"These tragic events aren't happening in isolation. They're the result of a downward spiral of safety conditions in the zone," the company said in a statement, adding that organized crime has led to "exponential growth in illegal mining."

The company said previous attacks have already led to the deaths of seven other workers and the destruction of 10 transmission towers. Ponderosa said criminal organizations have been operating with "absolute impunity, under the mantle of protection granted by REINFO."

REINFO is a program Peru's government has used to grant permits to artisanal miners since 2017. Peru's mining ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru's National Society of Mining, Oil, and Energy also issued a statement condemning the attack and exhorting the government to take measures to reestablish order in the region "where illegal miners want to establish 'liberated territories' and make the local population submit through violence."

The attack comes a year after the impeachment and arrest of leftist former President Pedro Castillo, which sparked months of deadly protests that snarled activity at mines in the Andean country.

Peru is the world's second-largest producer of copper and an important silver and gold producer. India, Switzerland, and Canada account for nearly two-thirds of Peru's gold exports, according to the mining ministry.

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