Peruvian mining sector worker Frank Monzón was aware of the risks, but the lure of gold deep in the Andean rock of northern Pataz province outweighed the danger. Now he and 12 others are dead in one of the country's worst mining massacres.

The bodies of 13 workers at a Peruvian gold mine were discovered over the weekend as criminal groups step up a wave of terror over control of the precious metal in the country’s northern highlands.

Thirteen mine workers were found dead on Sunday at the bottom of a gallery in a region overwhelmed by the explosion of illegal gold mining activity, as the country plunges further into violence.