Swiss Better Gold has learned of a fatal accident at Minera Sotrami in Peru on the evening of March 21st, resulting in the tragic deaths of two contracted workers due to exposure to toxic gases. We are profoundly saddened and express our deepest condolences and solidarity to the families and communities mourning this loss. 

In the meantime, the prosecutor visited the site and issued a report indicating that while all safety procedures were in place at the mine, the deceased personnel did not observe access restrictions and Occupational Health and Safety protocols put in place by Minera Sotrami. 

SBG has carefully reviewed the report and Minera Sotrami’s response. Following this analysis, a verification event, which was initially foreseen as part of the normal accreditation cycle, will take place in early May at Sotrami. Given the circumstances, while evaluating all 27 SBG criteria, the verification event will have a particular focus on Occupational Health and Safety at work and assess how safety procedures of Minera Sotrami are enforced and monitored with contractor companies. 

After receiving and reviewing the report, SBG will articulate and recommend Minera Sotrami a Continuous Improvement Plan to address eventual corrections in terms of Occupational Health and Safety practices at the mine. Mining remains a high-risk activity, and we remain committed to providing technical assistance and instruments to the mines as well as performing a regular monitoring on site and support ASM producers to improve their working conditions. 

[Updated on 03/04/2025]