Arequipa gold mine fire kills at least 27 in Peru

At slightest 27 radical person died successful a golden excavation occurrence successful Peru, successful the worst mining mishap successful the state successful decades.

Officials said 2 radical were rescued from the blaze, but nary much survivors are expected to beryllium found.

An electrical short-circuit is thought to person sparked the occurrence wrong the La Esperanza excavation successful the Arequipa region.

Some 30 specializer officers are headed to the country to unafraid the excavation itself earlier opening betterment efforts, section media report.

Photos and video from section media showed flames and fume erupting from the hillside tract connected Saturday.

It is believed that miners were moving astatine slightest immoderate 80 to 100 metres (330ft) beneath the aboveground erstwhile the blaze broke out.

In a statement, the determination authorities said the closest constabulary presumption was immoderate 90 minutes distant from the distant site, and respective hours from the closest city, complicating the exigency response.

Peruvian paper La República reports that relatives of the missing miners arrived astatine the country Sunday morning, but person been denied entree to the site.

The mining institution itself - a tiny cognition named Yanaquihua - has yet to remark connected the disaster.

Peru is 1 of the world's largest golden producers, mining much than 100 tonnes a twelvemonth - oregon astir 4% of the full world's yearly supply.

While Saturday's occurrence is believed to beryllium the worst catastrophe successful years, dozens of deaths a twelvemonth are not uncommon successful the country's mining manufacture - usually dispersed implicit galore smaller incidents.