TVI Pacific said mining operations at the Siana gold mine in the Philippines has been voluntarily suspended as a result of an unforeseen failure of the embankment of Tailings Storage Facility 3 on 11 May.
A total of 29 community homes have been damaged by a subsequent mudslide that occurred and mine operator Greenstone Resources has taken precautionary measures to evacuate 938 residents until such time that the area is declared safe for residents to return.
The tailings storage failure followed a series of earthquakes that occurred on the day of the incident, the strongest of which was a magnitude 4.0 quake in nearby Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. “[Greenstone Resources] shall extensively investigate the extent to which this may have contributed to the failure of the facility together with months of torrential intermittent rains that have caused several landslides on the island of Mindanao due to the repeated expansion and contraction of topsoil,” TVI Pacific said.
The company said there has been no damage incurred to the current Siana mining operations, including the mine infrastructure and equipment, the active Tailings Storage Facility 6 or the mine itself. Milling operations are currently continuing using the existing run-of-mine stockpile.
Siana is owned and operated by Greenstone Resources, a 100% owned subsidiary of TVI Resource Development Phils, in which TVI holds a 30.66% interest. The mine is located in Tubod, Surigao del Norte.
Source: TVI Pacific