10 dead, 20 missing in Peruvian mining camp avalanche
Heavy seasonal train has triggered an avalanche in the Pumo region of Peru that killed at least 10 person and trapped more than 20, crushing some 50 homes.
Posted: Tuesday , 03 Mar 2009
LIMA (Reuters) -
mineweb.com
Peruvian rescue workers dug frantically on Monday in the rubble of a landslide that killed at least ten people, including a child, and trapped more than 20, government and mining officials said.
An avalanche of rock and mud, triggered by heavy seasonal rain, fell on a remote mining camp in the early morning hours in Carabaya province in the southern region of Puno.
It crushed some 50 homes, trapping workers of the small, privately-held Winchomayo gold mine.
So far, ten bodies have been recovered, including one of a young child who was not immediately identified.
"There are still about 20 or so people missing and we do not know if they are dead or alive," Carlos Martin Roncal, a Winchomayo mine manager, told Reuters.
He said rescue workers have pulled four people from the rubble, all with serious injuries, but alive.
Many roads in the area remained shut because of the rain, complicating aid efforts, local authorities said.
Landslides are common in Peru during the rainy season, which runs from roughly November through April in the south. (Reporting by Marco Aquino and Maria Luisa Palomino; Writing by Dana Ford; Editing by Vicki Allen) |
