CARACAS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan authorities have expelled more than 10,000 illegal miners from nature reserves in the south of the country, the head of the Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, Domingo Hernandez Larez, said on Tuesday.
"More than 10,000 illegal miners have been evacuated from Caura National Park, La Paragua Forest Reserve and Icabaru Hydraulic Reserve," as part of Operation Roraima 2024, Hernandez Larez said on social media site X.
The protected areas are located in southern Venezuela's Bolivar state, which has seen recent ecological accidents due to illegal mining activity.
The illegal miners were expelled via a "safe route with due respect for human rights," said the official, adding that national parks and nature reserves "must be conserved and protected."
"Open pit mining exploitation is expressly prohibited" in those areas, he said.
Since last year, Venezuelan authorities have stepped up measures to stop illegal mining in the Amazon region and other environmentally significant sites. ■
