"Illegal gold mining in one of Peru's most ecologically significant areas has unleashed environmental destruction and gang violence."
"PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru - Gunshots echoed through La Pampa as rival gangs armed with military-grade weapons battled for control of the notorious gold mining town in the Peruvian Amazon.
Images seen by Context showed dozens of armed men storming the jungle town as miners ducked for cover and shopkeepers hid behind shutters, with at least five men lying dead after the shootout last month.
Police in Peru's southeastern Madre de Dios region told Context they had recovered two bodies after the incident but provided no further details.
The gun battle is the latest bloodbath in La Pampa, at the heart of Peru's "capital of biodiversity" of Madre de Dios, for hosting record numbers of species, many of them endemic."
Dan Collyns and Manuel Calloquispe report for Thomson Reuters Foundation July 25, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Peru Seizes Record 4-Ton Mercury Shipment In Fight Against Illegal Gold Mining" (AP)
"Small-Scale Gold Miners In Senegal Use Mercury Despite Health Risks" (africanews)
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