Yanomami health crisis in Brazil can only be solved by expelling miners, official says

FILE PHOTO: A mining area is seen in Yanomami indigenous territory, Roraima state, Brazil, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The medical emergency the Yanomami people of Brazil are suffering can only be overcome if illegal gold miners that invaded their reservation are evicted, an indigenous health official said on Tuesday.

"The malnutrition crisis continues to be extremely serious. We believe the reopening of medical units can only be done when the miners are all removed," Indigenous Health Secretary Ricardo Weibe Tapeba told a news conference.