Thirteen miners have been found dead inside a mine in Peru after being kidnapped several days earlier.

They were working at a gold mine owned by Peruvian mining company Poderosa, which is based in Pataz province, north of the capital Lima.

The victims had been sent out to confront a group of people involved in illegal mining in the area, but were kidnapped by a criminal gang which was trying to gain control of the mine.

The gang kept them hostage inside a mine shaft. For a week, they sent threatening messages to the miners’ relatives.

There has been a spike in criminals attacking mines in the country in the past few years.

On Friday, the company – which employs 8,000 people – released a statement saying it was disappointed that the police were not doing enough to prevent illegal mining.

“The climate of violence continues to escalate in the region,” the company said.

Peruvian news site Diario Correo reported that a video spread on social media – allegedly recorded by the captors themselves – showed the miners had been executed at point-blank range.

It is not clear what prompted them to kill the group.

Since 2020, illegal mining has taken over several mines run by Poderosa, forcing them to abandon some operations and “putting the physical safety of our employees and the artisanal miners at risk,” the company said.

In March, criminals working alongside illegal miners near La Ciénaga ravine in the Pataz district attacked contractors at the mine, killing two people.

The same month the company also said illegal miners blew up a high-voltage tower supplying power to the mines and tried to “invade” several mine sites. Poderosa said the police and army were unable to take control, and called on the government to restore order.

The company said illegal mining and organised crime were able to operate with “absolute impunity”.

Peru is one of the world’s largest gold producers, mining more than 100 tonnes a year – or about 4% of the entire world’s annual supply.