Macreas, New Zealand.
Photo by: OceanaGold Corp
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Melbourne, Australia-based OceanaGold Corp on Monday reported that a section of the Macraes openpit west wall had failed on Saturday following heavy rainfall, blocking access to the underground mine.
The TSX- and ASX-listed firm reported no injuries, saying that while the wall was being continuously monitored, there were no personnel working in the openpit at the time of the failure.
The underground mine was unaffected and all underground personnel were safely brought to the surface.
Production from the openpit had been temporarily suspended to further review the incident and develop a new plan for the operation. The company expected this review to be completed over the “next few weeks”.
OceanaGold said that earthworks started on Monday to re-establish a road to the underground entrance.
Production from the underground operation was expected to resume by the end of the week once a safe access road had been reinstated.
Oro processing had not been affected as ore was being drawn from stockpiles. The company expects there to be only “minimal” impact on near-term production as a result of this event.
Macraes goldfield is New Zealand's largest gold producing operation consisting of the Macraes openpit and Frasers underground mine. The Macraes mine has been in operation since 1990 and has produced more than three-million ounces of gold.