Investigators found the remains of four out of 21 missing gold miners in Venezuela in what they believe is a massacre linked to conflict over uncovered gold in the southern jungle of Caracas.

Venezuela's untapped gold resources have been subject to international interest, particularly China, who paid a hefty $691 million to gain access to the South American country's copper and gold reserves.

Now, it seems the rich resources of the country cost the lives of some of the miners who had been reported missing more than a week ago.

Even worse, relatives of the missing miners believe that the government is covering up the massacre.

Bodies Found

Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz said that four out of 21 missing miners were excavated from a grave located "in Nuevo Callao, deep into the [Amazon] jungle," the country's violent southeastern savanna.

"We don't know if all of the missing people are there," she said during an interview broadcasted on national television on Monday.

According to Ortega, the excavation had just begun and that they have yet to verify if all of the remains in the grave were that of the missing miners.

A probe into the case revealed that the miners were massacred by a gang known as "El Topo" or The Mole.

Ortega further revealed that authorities issued an arrest warrant for the gang's leader, Jamilton Ulloa, whom they believed ordered the killings.

Unfortunately, Ulloa is still at large.

Witnesses cited by local media outlets claim that the miners were fatally shot by gangs on March 4, adding to the growing murder rate in the embattled country.

The Cover Up

Anxious about their loved ones' whereabouts, the relatives of the missing gold miners believe that the Venezuelan government had not been totally honest about what really happened to the victims.

According to relatives, the number of missing miners is nearing 28 but authorities remain firm in their recently revealed count.

"We're convinced, after a technically and scientifically rigorous investigation, that in total 21 people disappeared," Ortega said in the interview, adding that they have yet to determine a motive for the killings.

Prior to sending over 1,000 soldiers to locate the remains last week, Bolivar state governor Francisco Rangel had initially denied that there are indeed missing miners.

Now, the government admits that there may have been territorial clashes between mining gangs engaged in the illegal extraction of natural resources, particularly Venezuela's coveted gold.

Venezuelan Gold

The South American country's gold had just gained international attention after the Venezuelan government expressed its intent on selling the resources to other countries.

In fact, Mining.com reported that the country would receive $5 billion in investments from Canada's Gold Reserve to settle the dispute over the Venezuela's gold reserves.