A statue is seen outside Santa Rosa Church in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Photo: CNS 
A Venezuelan bishop has issued a public appeal after 28 miners went missing. Ciudad Guayana’s Bishop Mariano Parra Sandoval issued his statement after meeting relatives of the missing men, who are feared dead after clashes with criminal gangs.
Local reports claim that a clash between miners and gang members took place in Tumeremo in Bolivar state after the government approved a new mining project there. The Tumeremo authorities have not responded to calls for help, members of the miners’ families have said.
Following his meeting with the miners’ families, Dr Parra Sandoval released a video statement online, saying “the area is controlled by armed groups”, and that the State has no authority there. In his video, he appeals to the gangs to stop the violence, calls for the civil authorities to intervene appropriately, and expresses the hope that the miners’ bodies will be returned to their families for burial.
photo: CNS
