Gosowong underground mine suspended following geotechnical event
Tuesday, February 9 2016 - 02:35 AM WIB
ASX-listed Newcrest Mining Ltd said at approximately 8:30 pm (local time) on Monday a geotechnical event occurred at the Kencana underground mine at the Gosowong gold mine on Halmahera Island, North Maluku, Indonesia.
?At this point in time the cause of the geotechnical event is unknown,? Newcrest said in a statement.
The company said the event caused damage to a number of mining levels. ?The Kencana mine was evacuated immediately after the event and all personnel have been accounted for, except for one employee who is believed to be trapped approximately 300 meters underground. No other injuries have been reported,? Newcrest said.
?At this time, our priority is to contact and rescue the trapped employee and provide all support necessary to the employee?s family and the Gosowong workforce. All efforts and specialist resources are being applied to the rescue,? it added.
The company said that all Gosowong mining and processing operations have been suspended.
Gosowong is owned and operated by PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals (PTNHM), an Indonesian company 75 per cent owned by Newcrest, which holds contract of work that is valid until 2029.
In the financial year ending 30 June 2015, Gosowong produced 331,555 ounces of gold and 410,970 ounces of silver. Since mine operations commenced in 1999, over four million ounces of gold and three million ounces of silver have been produced.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak