SAO PAULO (AP) — An Indigenous group in Brazil said Wednesday its members detained 12 people for allegedly mining illegally in the Amazon and handed them over to police.
The non-profit Urihi Associação Yanomami said in a statement that the incident took place Tuesday in the northern state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela. The organization said its move was aimed at avoiding the risk of water contamination by mercury in mining.
Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples Ministry confirmed that a dozen alleged miners, including 10 men and two women, were in police custody.
The Yanomami group filmed some of its members carrying bows and shotguns as they took the alleged miners to police. The detainees did not make comments in the video. The Associated Press could not find a spokesperson for them.
The Yanomami community is the Amazon’s largest Indigenous tribe living in relative isolation, and many of its members are contaminated with mercury coming from widespread illegal gold mining, according to Brazil’s top public health institute.
World's first Zootopia land opens at Shanghai Disney Resort
Another ankle injury rules Dortmund forward Haller out of Champions League match against Atlético
China's porcelain capital attracts migratory foreign designers
Taylor Swift fans go ballistic as Kim Kardashian FAILS to address the not
Shanghai sculpture show sees Rodin, Sanxingdui in dialogue
China issues guidelines to enhance management of community workers
Action movie The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon stays atop China's box office chart
A great escape! Family poodle gets trapped underneath kitchen
From yak dung to solar panels, Tibetans embrace modern heating
A portrait by Gustav Klimt has been sold for $32 million at an auction in Vienna
Chase Elliott drives backward after Texas win that could get him going in the right direction again