CARACAS – Investigators have found the remains of at
least 14 people presumed to be among 21 miners who went missing over a week ago
after a massacre near a gold mine in Venezuela’s violent southern jungle,
authorities say.

The remains were found buried in a common grave about 5
meters deep, government ombudsman Tarek Saab said in an interview with local
news station Globovision.

Chief prosecutor Luis Ortega earlier in the day told the
same TV station that investigators were still seeking to determine the motive
for the crime.

The massacre took place near Tumeremo, in Bolivar state,
with some witnesses cited by local media, relatives and politicians as saying
that a gang shot the miners and cut some up with a chain saw on March 4.

The case has shaken Venezuelans, even though the country
suffers one of the world’s highest murder rates. The government has pointed the
finger at foreign paramilitaries, while opponents have accused security forces
of being negligent.

Gang fights are common in the vast and remote area near
the borders of Guyana and Brazil, which is riddled with illegal mines.

Arrest warrants have been issued for three people,
including an Ecuadorean, Ortega said. One woman had been arrested and is due to
appear in court in the city of Puerto Ordaz on Tuesday.

– Reuters