Peru mourns the death of 56 journalists due to COVID-19

Approximately 56 journalists in Peru have died from the coronavirus, the Head of the Lima Association of Journalists said Friday.

Ricardo Burgos said there is a chance the number could be higher - there were 18 more deaths but it wasn't possible to determine whether the cause was COVID-19.

Burgos criticised employers of journalists in the industry, alleging they didn't supply proper protection equipment.

"Many of the fallen colleagues have died due to the negligence of their employers," he said.

Ivan Bravo, a cameraman who defeated COVID-19, knows how precarious the conditions are among his colleagues.

"Many of our colleagues died in the line of duty, because this is our job, to go where others flee, we can't step back, it is very sad, its a pain in our hearts not to see many of our partners," said Bravo.

According to Health Ministry information, thousands of death certificates list COVID-19 as one of several causes of death.

But they were not included in the country's official toll because the victims didn't have a coronavirus test before dying.

Peru currently ranks 9th in the world in terms of virus deaths and currently has more than 400,000 cases, according to John Hopkins University.

If the suspected cases are confirmed, the country could rank 5th behind Mexico, which has recorded 46,000 deaths.