Fire in Peruvian gold mine kills dozens

A fire broke out deep in a gold mine in southern Peru and killed at least 27 workers during an overnight shift, Peruvian authorities reported.

The Yanaquihua mining company said in a statement that 175 workers had been safely evacuated after the accident, which happened late Friday or early Saturday.It said the 27 dead worked for a contractor that specializes in mining.Government officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Some news reports said preliminary investigations indicated an explosion might have been set off by a short circuit in a part of the mine about 330 feet below the surface.Relatives of the victims were brought by buses to the mine in Yanaquihua in the Arequipa region, where they were briefed by security agents.