LIMA, May 8 (Reuters) –Poderosa PODERC1.LM, one of Peru’s largest gold producers, said on Wednesday that some of its facilities were without power after an electricity tower collapsed, the second such incident in just over a month.
In a statement, the miner blamed illegal miners operating nearby for the incident that left its units in Maranon and Santa Maria in northern Peru without power.
Poderosa has suffered a string of attacks in recent months that have claimed the lives of 17 people, the most recent on April 5. The attacks have destroyed 15 high-voltage towers, an electrical substation and a transmission line.
Peru’s government recently sent 300 police officers and soldiers to the Pataz province, in the region of La Libertad, to try to stop illegal miners. The area is close to the zone where Poderosa’s operations were affected by the latest incident.
“It is worrying that this occurs even under the state of emergency,” Poderosa said.
Nationwide, at least 30 people have died in the last two years in attacks by armed groups on gold mines.
Peru is a large global producer of copper, gold and silver.
Reporting by Marco Aquino;
Editing by Marguerita Choy
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