Illegal gold diggers line 600 mining rafts at Madeira River

Over 600 mining rafts of illegal gold diggers moved in a queue along the Madeira River in the region of the municipalities of Autazes and Nova Olinda do Norte, in the state of Amazonas.

According to O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, “a man identified as a gold digger is talking about setting up a ‘wall’ of rafts, with people around the equipment, to react to any kind of inspection approach” by the Federal Police.

The presence of the rafts on the river, one of the most important in the Amazon, is a serious threat to the local ecosystem, compromising hundreds of fish species and also the quality of the water and the health of indigenous populations.