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 men were killed in a region that has seen growing conflict over access to ore in recent years. The mine has also been a hotbed of illegal gold mining.

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.