At least nine people died and 23 others were injured in an attack on a gold mine in northern Peru, after which seven alleged perpetrators were arrested, the Interior Ministry announced last Saturday evening.

“A group of armed thugs broke into the facilities of the Poderosa mining company, in the province of Patas, and clashed with the company’s guards,” the authorities explained.

Dead are seven private guards who tried to repel the attack and two workers in the gold mine. The latter were killed when the attackers threw explosives at a tunnel at the gold mine, police said.

During the attack, which lasted about ten hours, the attackers took four workers hostage, who were then released as they fled.

Police were able to arrest seven alleged perpetrators, but others were able to escape as authorities regained control of the situation.

The prefect of La Libertad, where Patas province falls, Carolina Velasco, told RPP radio station that the perpetrators were linked to illegal gold mining.

Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the motive for the attack, during which nothing was stolen, according to Peruvian press. It is estimated that it was probably the action of an illegal group to eat the company Poderosa. A police officer said it was gang activity “involved in illegal mining, extortion and murder”.

Speaking to reporters in Lima, President Dina Boluarte said illegal mining activity was a “scourge” and that her government was “studying” the permits granted to small-scale gold miners in the region.

Peru ranks second in the world in terms of copper production, while also recording notable production of gold and silver. Companies from India, Switzerland and Canada mine nearly two-thirds of the gold exported from Peru, according to industry collectives.