The Ministry of Mines and Energy has confirmed an unfortunate incident that resulted in one death and two injuries at the Bea Mountain Mining Company in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County.
The Ministry, in a press release issued Wednesday, November 8, said the incident, which occurred at Crosscut 810, was triggered by activities at Crosscut 830, an underground mining site. According to preliminary findings, the accident took the life of Thomas Haines, a Liberian employee, while the two Turkish employees are in critical condition and receiving medical treatment.
The incident, which took place on Thursday, October 19, claimed the life of the Liberian worker who was preparing for blasting operations at the company's operational site in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County within the mining tunnel.
In a release on Wednesday, the Ministry expressed regret over the incident and extended condolences to the victims' families, particularly Thomas Haines. It clarified that the accident was unrelated to the mining method employed by Bea Mountain Mining Company, which is classified as a Class 'A' mining company. Rather, it was attributed to poor decision-making by the company's operator of its drilling/rig machine, who had wrongly reversed in a section of the mine without a 'spotter' and in an area without natural light.
The report highlighted that the accident was not caused by blasting or mud/soil sliding but by the displacement of rocks in the section where the three underground mine engineers were working.
"That was a mistake", the findings are quoted as saying. "Resultantly, his action caused the displacement of 'boulders' or rocks in that section of the mine where the three underground mine engineers were working, which fell on them."
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"Neither blasting, mud/soil sliding caused this accident," the report revealed.
The Ministry emphasized its commitment to ensuring mine safety. It urged all stakeholders in the sector to adhere to the Mineral and Mining laws of the country, fostering economic prosperity and job creation for the benefit of the local communities.
"The Ministry of Mines and Energy wants to assure the public that it remains robust with its fiduciary responsibility and duty of ensuring mine safety at all times, and therefore entreats all actors in the sector to abide by the Mineral and Mining laws of the Country to ensure economic prosperity for the Liberian people through job creation that benefits communities adjacent to mining activities," the release said.
Meanwhile, the latest incident has raised concerns about safety standards and practices within the company, marking another addition to a series of accidents at Bea Mountain.
