A landslide hits the Cebu mine; 4 dead

DAILY PRODUCTION Carmen Copper Corp. produces at least 45,000 dry metric tons of copper ore per day from its operation in the city of Toledo, province of Cebu. —PHOTO FROM ATLAS CONSOLIDATED MINING AND DEVELOPMENT CORP. WEBSITE.

CEBU CITY – At least four miners died while six were missing after a landslide occurred in a mining shaft in the city of Toledo, Cebu province, on Monday afternoon.

In a statement released Tuesday, Carmen Copper Corp. (CCC), a subsidiary of the publicly traded Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., said search and rescue operations had been underway at 3 p.m. at Carmen Pit . The identities of the workers had not yet been released pending verification by the company.

The CCC blamed the “incessant rains of recent months” for the landslide, exacerbated by tropical depression Vicky, which swept through parts of Visayas and Mindanao last week.

Initial findings from the Bureau of Mines and Geosciences (MGB) showed that the landslide could have been caused by the weakened contact of the limestone and shale layer at the rocky base of the site, as these were already flooded by typhoons. previous.

The Philippine Coast Guard sent two dogs from its K-9 units to Toledo to assist in rescue efforts.

“As of this moment, we are in close coordination and communication with the immediate affected families and we will continue to provide the necessary support and assistance,” said CCC.

“CCC management is taking all necessary actions to assess and address the general situation. We will continue to inform interested agencies, as well as the general public, of future developments, ”he said.

Barot Fault

A minor fault, called the Barot Fault, was also observed in the area of ​​the landslide and this could have contributed to the disaster, said MGB director Wilfredo Moncano.

When asked about the existence of a mining site on a fault, Moncano emphasized that minor faults that were imperceptible on the surface were not considered during mine designs, unlike major faults that had to be avoided.

He said that the CCC passed the independent audit conducted by the Coordinating Council of the Mining Industry this year and in 2017. The company suspended all activities and operations in the mining area after the tragedy.

The MGB office in Central Visayas dispatched a team from the Division of Mine Safety, Environment and Social Development to conduct an assessment at the CCC mine site.

Complain

Pedro Sepada Jr., head of the Biga village where the mine operates, said he had sent letters to the MGB regional office, Toledo Mayor Joie Piczon-Perales, and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn García last month. to inform you about CCC’s mining activities that are only 300 meters from the residential areas of your town.

The complaint, he said, fell on deaf ears.

Last year, Sepada said he summoned CCC officials about his operations in his village, but no representative came to speak to him. “We have already seen some cracks in the ground for some time, but we cannot do much. I didn’t hear any response from them, ”he said.

“Now, what we fear has happened,” said Sepada, whose four cousins, all in their 20s, were among those missing.

SITE OF THE TRAGEDY This video capture shows the collapsed section of a Carmen Copper Corp. mine shaft in the city of Toledo. Rescuers are still searching for six people buried in the landslide that struck the area Monday afternoon. —PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

CCC has exclusive operating rights to the mineral resources at the site and the mineral reserves of the Carmen, Lutopan and Biga mineral deposits, collectively known as the Toledo copper mine covering 1,674 hectares.

The Toledo Copper Mines, 46 kilometers west of Cebu City, used to be the largest copper mine in Asia until it stopped operations due to falling copper prices in 1994.

In 2007, CCC rehabilitated the mines and resumed operations the following year, producing an average of 45,000 dry metric tons of copper ore per day.

The area has three open wells, but only Carmen Pit is active. Biga Pit serves as the mine site’s tailings storage facility, while the Lutopan Pit is expected to resume operations next year.

The company is the largest taxpayer in Toledo.

Safety record

The Philippine Chamber of Mines (COMP), the largest large-scale mining organization where Atlas is a prominent member, described the incident as “unfortunate”.

“Atlas is known for its strict adherence to the highest health and safety standards,” said COMP.

“However, accidents happen in any industry. That is why the chamber and its members are constantly looking for ways to further improve our health and safety protocols … the important thing is that the industry learns lessons from incidents like this to continue to improve its protocols and practices, “he added. . –WITH A REPORT FROM JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE INQ

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