Peru's Interior Ministry said on the morning of December 3 that nine people were killed and 15 others injured after armed elements raided the country's Poderosa mine with explosives and took hostages.
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| Peruvian authorities said attackers armed with explosives and other weapons entered the mine on Saturday night and took four people hostage. (Source: AP) |
The Interior Ministry said on December 3 that attackers armed with explosives and other weapons entered the mine on Saturday night and took four people hostage. The incident occurred at a sinkhole where the company mined ore, according to Peruvian daily El Comerico .
The attackers who stormed the mine “violently confronted the company’s internal security staff and took four people hostage,” the interior ministry said. Police “brought the situation under control” after the raid with the support of special forces.
In a statement, the ministry said the incident occurred at 10am (local time), police “controlled the situation”, seven elements were arrested and weapons were seized.
Peru’s Interior Ministry also said it had dispatched special forces to the scene to assist local police. According to the ministry, the elements entered the mine, used explosives, “violently clashed with the company’s security forces and took four people hostage.”
The attack comes a year after the impeachment and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo, which sparked months of deadly protests that disrupted operations at Peru's mines.
Months of deadly protests followed, disrupting mining operations and creating an environment conducive to illegal activity, including murder, extortion and violent land invasions. Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer and a major producer of gold and silver.
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