1,000 trucks of soil being carried per day in Erzincan mine

ERZİNCAN

As the landslide disaster in the gold mine in the eastern province of Erzincan approaches its first week, teams have begun the process of displacing soil, with the aim of transporting 1,000 trucks of soil per day.

Following the incident on Feb. 13, in which nine miners were trapped under a large mass of soil, a soil evacuation effort of 35 million cubic meters has been initiated as of late Feb. 18. Speaking to the reporters, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya underlined that another 3.5 million cubic meters of soil was at risk of sliding.

Trucks will make a total of 1,000 trips per day to dump the soil at the former mine site determined by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, Yerlikaya noted.

The interior minister emphasized that continuous testing is being conducted to assess the potential environmental damage due to the cyanide-contaminated waste soil used during the gold mining process, assuring that there has been no threat to public health so far.

The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, along with the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, had canceled the licenses of the operating company, Anagold Mining. The incident that brought questions regarding grave negligence in the mine to the agenda led to a significant drop in shares for SSR Mining, the major shareholder with an 80 percent stake in Anagold Mining.

The company had already experienced a decline in value before the cancellation of the mining license, and with this new decision, attention is again focused on the international stock market, local media reported. It is estimated that the company could incur a loss of at least $500 million following the disaster. Legal and administrative penalties are also looming, with RBC Capital, a Canadian investment bank, stating that financial pressure on SSR Mining is increasing.