Russian gold producer Trans-Siberian has been granted full permitting approvals to resume mining operations at Vein 25 in the east zone of the Asacha mine, two months after two engineers installing ventilation systems were killed in a rockfall incident.
The London-listed company said on Friday that repairs at the site of the accident had been completed and that mining operations had restarted with immediate effect.
The federal service for environmental, technological and nuclear supervision, RTN, is reportedly close to finalising its investigations into the accident.
Trans-Siberian said that independent technical expert reports commissioned by the group concluded that the rockfall was largely caused by naturally occurring geological events, which were hard to predict or foresee.
Ahead of the RTN investigation recommendations on a preventive action plan are being devised and implemented to mitigate future risk of this occurrence, including modification of ground support protocols, new ground support applications, site inspection, staff training and development supported by geotechnical software and additional underground equipment, the company stated.
During the two months that mining in Vein 25 was prohibited, the main zone at the mine continued to be operational and provided sufficient feed for the ore processing plant to run at full capacity. About 5 122 oz of gold doré were produced.
The company would publish a production and dividend guidance for the 2021 financial year towards the end of the month.