At least 27 workers were killed in a fire mishap at a goldmine in Peru, the report in NDTV said.

The report quoting the country’s authorities said it is one of the worst mining tragedies in the South American country's recent history.

It said grief-stricken relatives gathered near the mine looking for news of their loved ones.

"Where are you darling, where are you?" cried Marcelina Aguirre Quispe, whose husband was among the victims, the report said.

"We know there was a short circuit and from that an explosion. We are very shocked by everything that happened," said Francisco Idme Mamani, whose 51-year-old brother Frederico also perished, it said.

“Police and the public prosecutor's office confirmed that the fire, which engulfed a tunnel inside the La Esperanza 1 mine in the Arequipa region, was caused by a short circuit,” the report said.

The report said the blaze started after an explosion at the mine in the remote Condesuyos province, a 10-hour drive from the city of Arequipa, the regional capital.

It added the explosion ignited the wooden supports inside the mine in the town of Yanaquihua.

It said the victims were 100 meters below ground.

The report said there have been no reports of survivors, nor confirmation about how many people were in the mine at the time of the fire.

The incident is one of the worst mining accidents in recent years in Peru, the largest gold producer in Latin America, it mentioned.

The mine, operated by Minera Yanaquihua, is a legal enterprise but there are many illegal mines in the region, it said.

It mentioned the company has been operating mines in Peru for 23 years.

Mining is one of the engines of the Peruvian economy, accounting for more than eight percent of GDP, it said.

Last year, 39 people died in mining-related incidents, according to the mining and energy ministry, it mentioned.

In 2020, four workers died after becoming trapped when a mine in Arequipa collapsed, it stated.

Peru is the world's second-largest producer of silver, copper and zinc, according to official sources, the report said.