Emeralds contained in Ethiopian exploration firm Web Gemstone Mining (WGM) operation’s sort house were looted on Tuesday, along with equipment and instruments, after the operation was overrun by a mob on June 29.
The gemstone sort house, which was built using 40 ft shipping containers, was breached, with several of the perpetrators sustaining injuries arising from the methods deployed in breaching the structure, WGM parent company Gemfields said on Wednesday.
WGM’s residential camp was also ransacked, and police present on the site on Tuesday sought to resist these developments, but were overwhelmed and have since abandoned the site, Gemfields said.
Gemfields, which holds a 75% stake in WGM, has also been advised that the site has seen a significant influx of firearm-bearing illegal miners and handlers.
WGM, meanwhile, continues to liaise with local and national authorities.
WGM holds an emerald exploration licence with a total concession area of 200 km2, with 27 km of potential emerald-mineralised strike length. WGM has been conducting exploration and core drilling since 2015, with bulk sampling operations due to start this month.