The dynamite attack is believed to be the result of two mining groups fighting over access to gold deposits.
Authorities say clashes between gold mining operations in Bolivia caused an explosion in which six people were killed.
The explosion on Thursday caused the Yani Mining Camp to rock La Paz, the northwest of the country’s administrative capital, at about 150 kilometers (or 90 miles).
“Six people have died and there have been reports of missing people,” said Jhonny Silva, president of Hijos de Ingenio Mining Cooperative, one of the mining groups involved.
The mining group reportedly cried out another group known as Mayo’s Senyo in a dynamite-involved battle over access to the gold mining area. The explosion damaged the house and the town of Sorata was without power.
“They blow up machines, even dynamite, diesel tanks,” Silva said of their rival cooperatives.
Groups have developed in Bolivia as an alternative to state-owned and private companies. Critics accused these large companies of providing unstable employment for low-income miners, and their jobs depend on market fluctuations.
The group began to emerge in the wake of several economic crises, particularly in 1985, when international mineral prices fell and the state-owned mining company Corporación Minerade Bolivia (Comibol) temporarily closed.
It left tens of thousands of Bolivian miners without jobs. With the privatization of Bolivian mines, the group provided space for miners to self-organize. Some will eventually extract tin, silver, gold and zinc and sell it to private companies.
Today, the group represents the majority of mining workers, outperforming Komibor and its counterparts in the private sector. Therefore, they exercise important political forces, despite their relatively modest ability to extract minerals compared to large corporations.
The estimated number of gold mining populations reached approximately 1,600. However, cooperative critics warn that there are few safeguards for workers exposed to toxic conditions in the extraction process.
Opponents also note that cooperatives are legal, but some of the mining activities do not, which could lead to environmental destruction and pollution.
The informal nature of the work has also led to fatal conflicts, both in the mining site access and in the marketplace that sells metals to raise investments.
The fight may include Komibor workers and security forces. The state-owned enterprise has become Bolivia’s largest company, driven in part by favorable policies under former socialist president Evo Morales, who led the country between 2006 and 2019.
For example, in 2012, tensions between Comibol and Collectives led to road blockages and fatal dynamite attacks at La Paz.
However, Silva said Thursday’s intergroup dynamite attacks had been simmering for years.
Colonel Gunther, a local police officer, told local media that the dynamite attack “caused a huge explosion.”
“We’re continuing our rescue efforts,” he said.
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