Five trespassers were found
dead in the underground workings of the Porgera gold mine on Saturday, March 3
after a routine blast underground.
Managers of the mine,
Barrick Niugini Limited, report that following a scheduled blast at 5.25am an
injured man alerted mine staff that other trespassers who had been with him in
the underground mine complex were missing.
A subsequent search and
rescue operation by mine staff led to the discovery of five deceased persons.
“We deeply regret this loss
of life – it tragically demonstrates that the mine is not a safe place to be
for unauthorised persons,” executive general manager of Barrick Niugini Limited,
Greg Walker, said.
“Our thoughts are with the
community after this tragic loss. We must work together to prevent this happening
again.”
The deceased were
transferred to Porgera’s Paiam Hospital, where efforts are being made to
identify the five people involved.
It is believed the men were
part of a group of eight people who had trespassed into mine workings to find
gold.
Barrick understands that
the other persons located in the vicinity of the incident have been arrested
and charged by local police.
Barrick has commenced an
investigation into the incident and the matter was immediately reported to the
PNG Mines Inspectorate.
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