13 kidnapped workers found dead in Peruvian mine

Thirteen people 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.

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." Peru is experiencing a wave of extortion and violent crime that has led authorities to declare a state of emergency in several parts of the country.