At least six people were killed early Thursday morning in a clash between rival groups of gold miners carrying dynamite in northwestern Bolivia, police said.
A powerful explosion rocked the Yani mining camp when rival groups clashed over access to a gold mine near the mountainous town of Sorata, about 150 kilometers northwest of the country's administrative capital, La Paz, according to Colonel Gunther Agudo, a local police officer. Numerous gold deposits are located in the remote area.
"We are continuing rescue efforts," Agudo said.
Authorities said prosecutors arrived at the scene on Thursday, where the pre-dawn explosion devastated the mining community, destroying several homes and cutting off electricity.
In Thursday's clash, a battle over control of some gold deposits between two rival cooperatives had been raging for years, according to Johnny Silva, a legal advisor to one of the cooperatives.