Tag: Mining

Venezuela gold mine collapse kills at least 16, traps dozens more

LA PARAGUA, Venezuela, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – At least 16 people died when an illegal gold mine collapsed in the jungles of southern Venezuela, officials said Wednesday revising down an earlier figure. The incident happened Tuesday at the “Bulla loca” mine in the state of Bolivar, a seven-hour boat ride from the nearest town, La Paragua, where family members waited anxiously for news. Officials gave conflicting accounts of the number of dead. The Bolivar […]

Mali gold mine collapse kills more than 70

BAMAKO, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – More than 70 people have been killed after a tunnel collapsed at a Malian gold mining site last week, local sources told AFP Wednesday, the latest disaster in a region prone to mining accidents. Mali, which is among the world’s poorest countries, is one of Africa’s leading gold producers. Gold mining sites are regularly the scene of deadly landslides and authorities struggle to control artisanal mining of the precious […]

Kazakhstan mourns for 42 dead in ArcelorMittal mine disaster

KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan, Oct 29, 2023 (AFP) – Kazakhstan held nationwide mourning on Sunday after 42 people died in a blaze at an ArcelorMittal mine, the worst accident in the Central Asian country’s post-Soviet history. The tragedy, which struck at the Kostenko coal mine in the Karaganda region Saturday, came after a series of deadly incidents at ArcelorMittal mines and has prompted the nationalisation of the company’s local affiliate. “As of 3 pm (0900 GMT) the […]

At least nine killed in Zimbabwe gold mine collapse

CHEGUTU, Zimbabwe, Sept 30, 2023 (AFP) – At least nine miners were killed after a shaft in a Zimbabwean gold mine collapsed, an engineer at the site and the miners federation said Saturday. “Four bodies have been recovered so far” and five others are still stuck under rubble, Henrietta Rushwaya, president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, told AFP. Mine engineer Hussein Phiri confirmed to AFP that rescuers had located the bodies of the five miners […]

Eight trapped in illegal Indonesia gold mine feared dead: official

BANYUMAS, Indonesia, July 30, 2023 (AFP) – Eight people trapped in an illegal gold mine on the Indonesian island of Java are feared dead, a local rescue official said Sunday, as search efforts entered a fifth day with little progress. Unlicensed mines — many with disregard for basic safety measures — are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago and accidents are frequent. The workers were digging inside a hole with a depth of 60 […]

At least 27 dead in Peru gold mine fire tragedy

YANAQUIHUA, Peru (AFP) — At least 27 workers have died in a fire at a gold mine in a remote area of southern Peru, authorities said Sunday, making it one of the worst mining tragedies in the South American country’s recent history. Grief-stricken relatives gathered near the mine looking for news of their loved ones. “Where are you darling, where are you?” cried Marcelina Aguirre Quispe, whose husband was among the victims. “We know there […]

Indonesian farmers fight for their land in nickel mining boom

by Marchio GORBIANO Agence France-Presse WAWONII, Indonesia (AFP) — Three women with machetes stood guard at their farm hilltop on Indonesia’s Wawonii Island, directing their blades towards the nickel miners working in the forest clearing below. “I pointed the machete at their faces. I told them: ‘If you scratch this land, heads will fly, we will defend this land to the death’,” said 42-year-old villager Royani, recounting a recent encounter with some of the miners. […]

Colombia’s war on illegal gold mines also hits outlaw armed groups

by David SALAZAR Agence France-Presse TRIÁNGULO DE TELEMBÍ, Colombia (AFP) — From the army helicopter circling overhead, Colombian security forces are able to spot several illegal gold mines in the jungle below. The armed forces land suddenly to be confronted by angry workers, but they brush them off and destroy the machinery used to extract gold. The operation is both a blow to illegal mining and a strike at armed groups that profit from illicit […]

Seven dead in Indonesia mine landslide: district chief

PONTIANAK, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian rescuers have recovered seven bodies after a landslide at an illegal gold mine buried an estimated 20 people, officials said on Saturday. The victims were mining gold on a bare hillside when the landslide triggered by heavy rains struck the area on the west of Borneo island, in West Kalimantan province. Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago where abandoned sites attract locals who scrounge for leftover […]

Mexico races to rescue nine trapped miners

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Rescuers battled Wednesday to free around nine workers believed to be trapped in a coal mine in northern Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. Military personnel and rescue dogs were deployed to the scene of the accident in the state of Coahuila, Lopez Obrador said. “A coal mine collapsed in the municipality of Sabinas, Coahuila, which caused a tunnel to flood and apparently trapped nine miners,” he tweeted. “We […]

The centuries-old mines stirring Japan-South Korea tensions

by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse SADO, Japan (AFP) — Under a split-top mountain on the Japanese island of Sado lies a network of centuries-old mines that have sparked a new diplomatic row with South Korea. Some of the gold and silver mines of Sado, off Japan’s west coast, are believed to have started operating as early as the 12th century and produced until after World War II. Japan believes that lengthy history and the artisanal […]

Ecuadoran frogs Rocket and Harlequin taking on mining industry

  by Paola Lopez Agence France-Presse  JUNIN, Ecuador (AFP) — On the banks of a crystalline waterfall, biologist Andrea Teran lets out a yelp. She holds in the palm of her hand one of two frog species at the center of a legal battle against Ecuador’s mining industry. Teran, 37, is a specialist in the fragile existence of a creature called the Resistance Rocket Frog, which does not yet have a scientific name, and the […]