The bodies of 13 security guards were found dead inside a mine in Peru after being kidnapped days earlier in the northern area of Pataz, the mining company Poderosa said Sunday.

The victims found Sunday worked for a company that provided services to Poderosa, a major gold mining firm listed on the Lima stock exchange that has in recent months been targeted by armed groups linked to illegal mining.

“This morning, after intense search efforts, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers who were kidnapped (...) by illegal miners in collusion with criminal elements,” the company said in a statement.

Pataz, located around 900 kilometers from the capital Lima, is in a state of emergency due to escalating violence caused by a gold rush there.

Pataz mayor, Aldo Carlos Marinos said he plans to meet with the country's president, Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, on Monday to find solutions to the security situation in the area.

Between 2013 and 2023, the Peruvian Financial Intelligence Agency said transactions related to illegal gold mining were estimated at billions.

Peru's government declared a state of emergency last month following a surge in illegal mining and criminal violence.

“The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz is occurring despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent which, unfortunately, has not been able to halt the deterioration of security conditions in the area,” the mining company said.

Peru's interior ministry said it had deployed organized crime investigators to probe the deaths, warning its agents “are fully empowered to use their firearms if the circumstances warrant it.”