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Peruvian gold manufacturer Poderosa blames power outage on prohibited miners

Poderosa, among Peru's largest gold producers, stated on Wednesday that some of its facilities were without power after an electricity tower collapsed, the second such event in simply 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 actually suffered a string of attacks in current months that have claimed the lives of 17 individuals, the most recent on April 5. The attacks have damaged 15 high-voltage towers, an electrical substation and a transmission line.

Peru's federal government recently sent 300 policemans and soldiers to the Pataz province, in the area of La Libertad, to attempt to stop prohibited miners. The area is close to the zone where Poderosa's operations were affected by the most current event.

It is stressing that this happens even under the state of emergency situation, Poderosa stated.

Nationwide, at least 30 people have passed away in the last two years in attacks by armed groups on gold mines.

Peru is a big international producer of gold, silver and copper.

(source: Reuters)