Mining disaster wipes out community in Ghana
A rural community in Ghana's Western Region was virtually flattened Jan. 20 when a truck carrying explosives to a gold mine collided with a motorcycle, setting off a massive blast. Some 40 have been hospitalized, and the official death toll of 17 is expected to rise. The truck, owned by a local mining services company called Maxam, was en route to the Chirano gold mine, operated by Toronto-based Kinross Gold. The explosion left a huge crater and reduced dozens of buildings to dust-covered piles of wood and metal in the community of Apiate, near the city of Bogoso, some 300 kilometers west of the capital Accra. Isaac Dasmani, chief executive of Prestea Huni-Valley municipality, told local media "the whole community is gone" after the blast. (Mining.com, RFI, TRT World, Reuters)
Kinross Gold has operations across West Africa.
Spanish company fined in Ghana disaster
Authorities in Ghana Feb. 8 fined Spanish company Maxam $6 million for transport law violations following the explosion that killed at least 14 last month at the rural community of Appiatse, Prestea Huni-Valley municipality, Western Region. (Jurist, Graphic, MyJoy)
Mine blast in Burkina Faso kills 60
A blast at an "informal" gold mining site near the village of Gbomblora in southwestern Burkina Faso killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100, authorities reported Feb. 21. One person has been detained and an investigation opened to determine the cause of the explosion. (AP, Reuters)