Illegal miners blow up high-voltage tower at Peru's Poderosa

On Thursday, illegal miners blew up a high-voltage tower that provides power to the Poderosa gold mine in Peru, the miner said.

The attack interrupted operations and risked the safety of contractors, according to Compañía Minera Poderosa.

It's the latest in a string of attacks on the mine, with more than ten similar incidents in the past year.

In December, nine security workers were killed in an armed raid on the mine, with a further ten people seriously injured and three with minor injuries. Assailants raided the mine, took several people hostage, and used explosives in the mine shaft, killing the nine workers.

Another seven employees lost their lives in other attacks. The company's infrastructure, machinery, and equipment have also been destroyed.

The miner said that the continued attacks pose "a tangible threat to our staff", urging the government to continue to fight against illegal mining, "one of the country's main security threats".

After the December attack, Poderosa criticised the role of REINFO, the government's attempt to combat illegal mining by granting permits to artisanal miners, in the deteriorating security in the area.

"We ask the Peruvian state, through the ministry of the interior, the national police, the public ministry and other authorities involved, to redouble their efforts to combat crime and illegal mining that has invaded Pataz, to safeguard the integrity of the people and to respect the right to formal work," Poderosa said in a December statement.

Several days after the December incident, Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines announced it would reform REINFO to "confront the actions of illegal mining that has been causing much damage to the country".