Liberia: 1 Dead, 2 Injured at Bea Mountain Mining Accident
“The incident occurred during the preparations for blasting,” Fahnbulleh explained. “They were charging when the rocks came from above and fell. There were two Turks and one Liberian.”
An accident at the Bea Mountain Mining Company has claimed the life of a Liberian worker who was preparing for blasting operations at the company’s operational site in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County within the mining tunnel.
The incident took place last Thursday, October 19, at its mining site in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County.
The accident, which also resulted in the injuries of two foreign workers, has raised concerns about safety standards and practices within the company, marking another addition to a series of accidents that have befallen Bea Mountain.
According to Shedra Fahnbulleh, the Company Safety Manager, the tragedy occurred when a section of the mining tunnel experienced an unexpected torrent of falling rocks, trapping the miners and leading to one fatality and severe injuries to two other workers.
The devastating occurrence, Fahnbulleh noted, transpired during the preparatory phase of a blasting operation, a crucial aspect of the company's gold mining operation.
“The incident occurred during the preparations for blasting,” Fahnbulleh explained. “They were charging when the rocks came from above and fell. There were two Turks and one Liberian. They got badly injured, especially Thomas Haines, who is a Liberian.
“When we observed on the site that the injuries were more critical, they were taken to our site clinic, but a few hours later, Haines couldn't make it, and the other two were transported to the JFK Memorial Hospital for treatment.”
The accident comes nearly three months after the 54th legislature swiftly ratified Bea Mountain’s restated mineral development agreement, effectively extending the concession's lifespan to 2051 after granting an additional 25 years. The swift passage of the agreement was criticized for lacking due diligence, but lawmakers pushed back, stating that Bea Mountain had played a crucial role in Liberia's economy, contributing significantly to the nation's revenue.
The latest incident, highlighting the inherent risks associated with Bea Mountain operations, comes weeks after Cllr. Benedict Sannoh, a former Minister of Justice, threatened the company with a class-action lawsuit for its alleged “poor handling” of the pollution of Marvoe Creek with “cyanide”, which is dangerous to human health. Sannoh claimed that the subsidiary of the Turkish-owned Avesoro Resources had failed to adequately address the spillage of cyanides on two different occasions from one of its tailings storage facilities in the years 2022 and 2023, affecting the livelihoods of about 350 people as a result of the pollution of Marvoe Creek.
The Turkish company, a significant player in Liberia's mining sector, has denied the claims, even though it has faced its fair share of challenges in recent years, with a history of accidents that have raised concerns about environmental safety.
It is yet unclear whether the company has launched an internal investigation to determine any lapses in safety protocols that caused the accident. Critics, however, are calling for the Ministry of Mines to launch a safety protocol investigation to determine if the company is in compliance and has put in place safeguard measures to avoid repeats of the latest accident.
But Fahnbulleh, the company’s safety manager, claims that Bea Mountain has extensive safety measures in place that ensure the well-being of its employees and the local community. He considers the accident as unfortunate and not necessary due to safety issues as some people may think.
“Reports that several deaths or people being wounded are not true. Only one person died from the accident, while two other foreign nationals have been admitted to the JFK Memorial Hospital,”Fahnbulleh. [Such report] was just mere speculation and meant to tarnish the good reputation of the company.”