First Quantum suspends operations at Zambia mine after fatal accident

First Quantum said it has launched an internal investigation into the accident on Sunday involving a tracked dozer and a light vehicle that killed one employee.

“The site of the accident was immediately secured and operations in the area …will resume once it is determined that it can be done so in a safe manner,” the Toronto-based miner said in a statement.

There have been past safety issues at the Kansanshi mine, which produced 134,827 tonnes of copper and 68,970 ounces of gold last year. Two contractors at First Quantum’s Zambia operations, including one at Kansanshi, died last November in separate accidents.

Shares of First Quantum were down by 0.6% at the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday at 11.47 a.m. (1547 GMT)

For First Quantum, the Zambian mines have become important revenue sources after its flagship Cobre Panama mine in Panama was shut last December after public protests and a Supreme Court ruling nullifying the company’s mining contract.

Since that ruling, First Quantum has had to take up a series of capital restructuring measures, including a $500 million, three-year copper prepayment agreement with Chinese miner Jiangxi Copper. As per the agreement, the Kansanshi mine will deliver 50kt of copper anode annually at the market price.

For the quarter ending June 30, the Kansashi mine contributed $531 million to First Quantum’s total revenue of $1.2 billion.