Two Canadian mining fatalities in Mexico occur within days

(Canadian OH&S News) — Two unrelated mining fatalities involving the operations of Canadian mining companies in Mexico took place within the span of a few days.

On June 20, a fatal incident involving an employee of Starcore International Mines Ltd., headquartered in Vancouver, occurred at the company’s San Martin Mine in Queretaro, Mexico. In a statement dated June 21, president and chief executive officer Robert Eadie expressed regret over the company’s failure to report the death of the worker, who had been an experienced underground miner at the firm’s San Martin Mine. Eadie flew to Mexico upon hearing the fatal incident.

“The safety of our employees is of utmost importance for Starcore, and we will continue to take every measure to eliminate all workplace accidents and ensure the workplace is safe for everyone,” Eadie said.

According to the statement, the incident was an isolated one that occurred during the installation of wall and ceiling ground support in a cut-and-fill stope in the mine’s San Martin area. Starcore is working with the local authorities on completing a final report on their investigation. Operations at the mine outside of this stope continue, and all crews have been fully debriefed on the incident. The plant is operating normally in the meantime, the statement added.

Just two days after the Starcore fatality, Great Panther Silver Limited, based in Vancouver, reported that a contract miner had been killed on June 22 when an isolated rock fell at the Guanajuatito Mine, which is part of the Guanajuato Mine Complex in Mexico. The area where the incident occurred has been closed for investigation, but the rest of the operations remain unaffected.

In a statement dated June 22, Robert Archer, president and chief executive officer of Great Panther Silver Limited, expressed his condolences on behalf of the company, which is continuing with a complete safety review across all its operations that began earlier in the year. The company is assessing the cause of the incident and has reported it to the relevant authorities.

“Any necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of such accidents will be taken immediately,” the statement added.