BUENOS AIRES – A pipe carrying cyanide at Barrick Gold's Veladero gold mine suffered a valve failure and small leak that led to a brief disruption to operations, the company said on Monday.
Barrick said in a statement the incident occurred on Sunday and that there was no threat to surrounding rivers or its workers' health from the spill. A company source said a faulty valve had been replaced and that the incident was being investigated.
"The leak was detected almost immediately and the valve shut down. Production was halted to prevent pumping more of the solution," said the company official who asked not to be identified.
Veladero, one of the largest gold mines in Argentina, produced 722 000 oz of gold in 2014.