Miner may permanently close section that trapped 9 people
by The Canadian Press
Spokesperson says a survey will need to be done with consultants and engineers to determine whether the area is safe.
PREISSAC, Que.—The manager of a Quebec gold mine where nine people were trapped for 18 hours says the section where the incident happened may not reopen.
General Manager Sylvain Lehoux says a survey will need to be done with consultants and engineers to determine whether the area is safe.
The miners were rescued May 26 by a tunnelling machine at the IAMGOLD Corp. facility in Preissac in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region in northwestern Quebec.
They became trapped after a wall moved because of seismic activity in the area.
Lehoux notes that in January several miners were also caught in an area not far from the location of the wall collapse.
He says the area is located on what he describes as the Cadillac fault and any movement can definitely cause an earthquake.
IAMGOLD only started commercial production at the mine in July 2014.
