Listed mining firm OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI) has restarted its mining and milling activities at the Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya after a temporary halt following a fatality late Friday evening.
In a report by the Philippine Star, OGPI investor relations manager Marjorie Idio confirmed that mining and milling activities resumed last Saturday within the 24-hour temporary suspension ordered by the parent company.
Idio said that that have yet to resume operations in the paste plant, where the deceased worker was found, emphasizing that the focus remains on supporting the family and colleagues during this difficult time.
OceanaGold Corp. (OGC), the parent company, revealed that one of its employees at the Didipio mine was “fatally injured” on June 21.
OGC said that the employee was found unresponsive in the vicinity of the plant and was unable to be revived.
Operations at the Didipio mine were voluntarily suspended by the Australian-Canadian firm for 24 hours to inform the workforce.
OGC confirmed that Philippine regulators and the next of kin of the deceased have been notified of the incident, and that an investigation is underway.
OGPI made its market debut a little over a month ago, becoming the country’s first initial public offering of the year.
OGPI reported a significant drop in net income for the first quarter, attributed to lower mine production and sales, with net income falling to $11.5 million, down 48 percent from $22.1 million a year ago.
Despite the first-quarter slowdown, the foreign miner expects the Didipio mine to produce between 120,000 and 135,000 ounces of gold and 12,000 metric tons to 14,000 metric tons of copper this year.
