This is a list of gold mining disasters including environmental, such as those arising due to dam failure, cyanide leakage into the environment, as well as inappropriate environmental toxic waste discharge due to the gold cyanidation technique used in gold mining. Other disasters at gold mines such as those resulting in loss of life are also listed.
Year MineLocationMajority Owner Company Location Details1882CreswickNew Australasian Gold Mine disaster: Australia's worst below-ground gold mining disaster. 1971 Certej Mine 1971 Certej dam failure: A dam failure resulted in the leak of 300,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated flood Certeju de Sus, resulting in 89 deaths. 1984-2013 Ok Tedi MineBHP Ok Tedi environmental disaster: Unrestricted waste discharges from the mine had strong effects on the environment and the 50,000 people who live downstream. Over 2 billion tons of untreated mining waste were thus discharged. 1984-2013 Summitville mineGalactic Resources A Canadian-based company used gold cyanidation process to extract gold, resulted in 610,000 m³ of stored toxic water. Following the company's bankruptcy, the US government spent over $155 million to clean the site. 1995 Omai mineOmai Gold Mines (subsidiary of Cambior) 3 million cubic metres of cyanide-tainted waste was spilled into the Omai river and then the Essequibo iver following a dam failure.Cyanide from mine threatens Guyana river The Independent August 23, 1995 1996 Mt. TapianMarcopper Mining Marcopper mining disaster: A fracture of the drainage tunnel for a tailings pit led to discharge of toxic waste into Makulapnit-Boac river system, causing large-scale destruction of crops, burying one village with mud and requiring 20 other villages to be evacuated. 1998 Kumtor Gold MineCenterra Gold A truck carrying 1,762 kg of sodium cyanide fell into the Barskaun River. An international independent group of experts studied the impact of the accident and concluded that no one was killed or poisoned as a result of the accident. 2000 Baia MareEsmerelda Exploration Limited 2000 Baia Mare cyanide spill: A dam failure resulted in the leak of 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated water which spilled into the Someş and Tisza. Pollution flowed into Europe's second largest river, the Danube, and finally into the Black Sea, across six countries. Hungary asserted the spill killed 1,241 tonnes of fish in Hungary alone. 2000 Tolukuma gold mineDome Resources A one-tonne cyanide crate fell from a helicopter into the jungle, while heavy rain in the area washed 100–150 kg of it into a river."Cyanide seeps into PNG rivers", BBC, March 23, 20002006Beaconsfield gold mineBeaconsfield Mine collapse: 1 miner was killed and 2 were trapped underground for a fortnight.2009Ahafo gold mineNewmontOverflow of process solution containing sodium cyanide occurred within the processing plant site at Newmont Ghana's open pit Ahafo Mine. This resulted in water contamination and fish mortality.5 August 2015Gold King Mine2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill: In Silverton, Colorado, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC, caused the release of toxic waste water into the Animas River watershed.2015Veladero mine, San Juan provinceBarrick Gold1,072 cubic meters of cyanide solution reached the Potrerillos River due to a valve failure.2019Kampine mine, Kampine town, Maniema Democratic Republic of the Congo22 illegal miners dead in an illegally run mine.2020Kamituga mine, Kamitung town, South Kivu Democratic Republic of the Congo50+ people died after a mine collapse due to heavy rain. Three tunnels to the mine were blocked as a result of the heavy flow of water.7 November 2021Kondago villageNiger gold mine collapse - 30+ miners killed.21 February 2022GbombloraInformal siteGbomblora explosion - 60 people killed; over 100 people were injured.13 February 2024Çöpler Gold Mine, İliç, ErzincanSSR Mining, Anagold Mining, 9 miners under cyanide containing soil landslide. 2024Eagle Gold MineVictoria Gold CorpOn June 24, 2024, 300,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated water leaked from a heap leach failure in Victoria Gold Corp's Eagle Gold Mine site near Mayo, Yukon. The failure resulted in the company being forced into court ordered receivership and its stock being delisted from the TSX.
References
External links Summit declaration, Peoples' Gold Summit, San Juan Ridge, California; June 1999. Air pollution caused by mercury and lead emissions from the artisanal gold mining; Blacksmith Institute Report; 2012