Miners Allegedly Killed Dozens of Indigenous Amazonians

Posted on Aug 29, 2012

Fora do Eixo (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A human rights group has reported an attack on the Yanomami tribe in Venezuela that has left up to 80 people dead after gold miners set fire to a communal house last month.

Three survivors have been accounted for so far. Yanomami groups have called on Venezuelan authorities to cooperate with Brazil in monitoring the activity of illegal miners. Activists say the tribe has been repeatedly threatened and attacked.

—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

BBC:

The Yanomami have previously complained of miners encroaching on their lands.

Due to the community’s remote location, it took those who discovered the bodies days to walk to the nearest settlement to report the incident, according to campaign group Survival International.

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