Compania Minera Antamina reported that a mudflow at its copper-zinc mine on Nov. 6 took the life of an employee who was operating a tractor in the area and slightly injured two others. Several pieces of heavy equipment including a shovel, haul truck and two drills were also damaged, but salvage operations are underway.
The mudflow occurred within the pit in an area where waste material and sediment from an old lake bottom are being removed. The small lake was drained during preproduction. The mudflow was estimated to be 240,000 m3 and was contained by berms within the pit. Production was interrupted for less than a day, and the interruption will have no effect on monthly or annual output.
The Antamina pit is located in the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of 4,800 m and has an in-it resources of 494 million tonnes grading 1.3% Cu, 1.0% Zn and 0.04 oz./tonne Ag. Production is rated at 272,000 tonnes Cu and 163,000 tonnes Zn annually. The mill has a daily capacity of 70,000 tonnes. Concentrate slurries are piped to the Pacific coast to be dewatered before shipment.
Antamina is owned by NORANDA (33.75%), BHP BILLITON (33.75%), TECK-COMINCO (22.5%), and MITSUBISHI (10%).
For further information you can contact Carlos Oviedo at coviedo@antamina.com or Gonzalo Quijandria at gquijandria@antamina.com
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