CARACAS, Venezuela — Security forces in Venezuela are searching for a group of miners in the state of Bolívar who have gone missing. Family members of those missing from the Atenas gold mine are alleging that sometime between Thursday and Friday, 28 miners were rounded up by gunmen and killed execution style. The mine is unlicensed “wildcat” mine, and is located near to the town of Tumeremo.
State Governor Francisco Rangel first denied that “any person [was] killed or missing,” saying that reports referred to clashes between gangs fighting over control of the mines. He accused the opposition of spreading “FALSE information about murdered miners.” Governor Rangel is an ally of President Maduro.
In response to Governor Rangel’s claim, about 300 relatives of the miners engaged in demonstrations over the weekend, shutting down a road running through Tumeremo that serves as an important link between Venezuela and Brazil.
“I’m not asking for justice,” said Juan Jose Coello, the father of a missing miner. “Right now, I’m just asking that they return the body of my son, so I can give him a Christian burial.”
The protests led Venezuela’s Attorney General to designate both a national and regional prosecutor to investigate the matter. Governor Rangel finally acknowledged on Monday that there was an official search for the miners. Family members continued to block the road through Tumeremo.
Some claiming to have witnessed the massacre and family members of the missing have accused law enforcement agents of playing a role in the alleged killings. Opposition lawmaker Americo de Grazia has also accused the state government of complicity.
1,000 soldiers were ordered to the area to search for the missing miners. There are conflicting reports from those who claim to have witnessed the attack as to what the gunmen did with the remains of the miners. Some locals allege that the gunmen drove the bodies of the miners deeper into the mine, while others say they were dismembered and removed from the area.
For more information, please see:
Agence France-Presse – Missing Venezuelan miners families protest – 7 March 2016
Associated Press –Venezuela Opens Investigation Into Possible Killing of Miners – 7 March 2016
Reuters – Venezuela says investigating alleged killing of miners – 7 March 2016
Voice of America – Venezuela Investigates Possible Slaying of 28 Missing Miners – 7 March 2016
BBC – Venezuela probes gold miners’ disappearance in Bolivar – 8 March 2016
Latin America News Dispatch – Venezuela Investigates Disappearance of 28 Gold Miners – 8 March 2016
Washington Post – Venezuela Congress takes up case of missing miners – 8 March 2016
