La Paz : Six people were killed and others reported missing in a clash between miners in the municipality of Sorata, north of the Bolivian capital, La Paz.
According to a preliminary report by the Bolivian police, the incident began early in the morning between two groups disputing the exploitation of small gold deposits in the province, located 150 kilometres north of the capital.
Departmental police commander Gunther Agudo told reporters that the conflict involved the Señor de Mayo and Hijos de Ingenio mining cooperatives, adding that the clash “caused an explosion of great magnitude.”
Bolivia’s mining sector is operated by three divisions: state-owned, private, and cooperative. The cooperative sector has faced criticism due to illegal exploitation, which harms the environment and leads to ongoing conflicts with other miners and rural communities.
