The bodies of 13 workers at a major Peruvian gold mine were found on May 4, a week after the men were abucted. Poderosa, the Peruvian company that owns and operates the mine in the northwestern province of Pataz, La Libertad region, confirmed the deaths of the guards after a police search and rescue unit recovered their bodies. "Poderosa laments the death of the 13 workers who were cruelly murdered by criminals allied with illegal mining," the company said. The men were kidnapped from the mine on April 26. (FT [9])
In response, President Dina Boluarte has instated a curfew in Pataz province, and announced that the armed forces will take full control of the area around the Poderosa mining concession. A new military base will be also established in the area. Boluarte aditionally said that she will ask Congress for extraordinary powers to crack down on criminal networks, and have their activities defined as "terrorism." (Andina [10])
