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Petra Evacuates Cullinan After Wall Collapse
Oct 30, 2019 9:42 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Three million tonnes of material fell into the open pit of Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan
mine in South Africa during a thunderstorm Saturday, the company
said Wednesday.
The collapse generated a
large plume of dust, which had “some effect on the local community,” Petra
noted. As a precautionary measure, the company temporarily evacuated all
employees and closed the mine for a day so that experts could assess the damage
and risk. No one was hurt, as the company currently only carries out underground mining, and hasn’t used the open-pit deposit for 50 years.
The nearest Cullinan community is located on the
southeastern corner of the pit, while the incident occurred in the southwestern
portion. The miner will continue to monitor the pit walls to ensure there is no
risk to the community, it said.
“We will take whatever steps are necessary, including the
engagement of external technical specialists if required, to better understand
this incident and any impact on future pit stability,” Petra CEO Richard Duffy
explained. “The safety of our employees and surrounding communities continues
to remain our key focus. Our meetings with our partners in government, labor
unions and the community earlier today were very constructive, and their valued
input is appreciated.”
Petra does not expect the event to have a material impact
on its production.
Image: The Cullinan mine. (Petra Diamonds)
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Tags:
Cullinan, Cullinan Mine, Petra Diamonds, Rapaport News, Richard Duffy
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