Small tailings dam collapses in Ecuador, communities denounce pollution
JULY 3, 2020 / 4:41 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
2 MIN READ
QUITO (Reuters) - A small tailings dam associated with a mine run by Ecuadorean firm Austro Gold has collapsed, Ecuador’s government said on Friday, sending mining waste into a nearby river.
A retaining wall collapsed at the Armijos tailings station, located in the Camilo Ponce Enriquez area in southern Ecuador, the energy and mines ministry said. Nobody was injured.
“One of the immediate measures in the area will be ... to prohibit mining activities at that plant,” the ministry said in a statement, without providing details on the incident.
The ministry said it opened an investigation to determine how the company could be sanctioned.
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Ecuador has been developing large-scale mining since last year and has been exporting gold and copper from its two largest mines.
More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-mining-collapse/small-tailings-dam-collapses-in-ecuador-communities-denounce-pollution-idUKKBN2442LO
