Earl International Mining Company suspends operations over illegal mining induced flooding

Owing to illegal mining induced flooding, Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, a Chinese large-scale mining firm operating in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region has temporarily suspended its operations.

A statement issued by its Public Relations Department said on the night of August 19, 2024, heavy rains caused water from Oun River to flood the firm’s underground mining area through illegal mining pits, some of which were unlawfully connected to their mine.

It said the incident resulted in the submersion at Shaft four, levels six and seven, with an estimated volume of 80,000 cubic metres of water leading to the temporary displacement of close to 400 workers.

“However, all employees on duty on the day of the incident were safely evacuated and surfaced” the release added and further indicated that “this unfortunate development has brought huge losses to our company with equipment worth millions of dollars damaged and significant production time lost”.

Volumes of water

The statement further said an assessment of the volumes of flood water currently in the company’s underground mining area had revealed that it would take eight weeks to pump out the water to pave the way for a safety audit to be conducted before resumption of production.

While indicating that large volumes of water continue to flow through the illegal mining pits to further exacerbate the situation, the company called on the relevant authorities to take immediate action by bringing closure to the existence and activities of illegal mining along the river bank.

“This is key in preventing potential dangers and disaster to both the illegal miners and our workers and operations. We request urgent support to mitigate this situation and prevent future occurrences” the statement concluded.