Victoria, BC – Roger Tissot, Executive Director of the Artisanal Gold Council (AGC), Dr. Kevin
Telmer, Director of Innovation and Business Development, and Daniel Merino, Peru-based
Project Consultant with AGC, released the following statement upon learning of a small-
scale mine fire in Peru that killed 27 people:
“On May 7, 2023, an electrical short-circuit is believed to have started a fire at a small-scale
mine site in the Arequipa region of Peru. While 175 miners were rescued, 27 people died in
what is being described as ‘the worst mining accident in the country in decades.’”
“This is a tragic situation and we have reached out to MINEM (Ministerio de Energia y Minas –
Ministry of Energy and Mines) and to Alberto Rojas, Director of Formalization in Peru, to offer
our solidarity and support to the government of Peru as they continue their important work to
professionalize and formalize the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) sector.”
“We send our deepest condolences to the grieving family and friends of the deceased miners.
Our hearts are with them.”