Montepuez Ruby Mining reports another death of illegal miner, expresses concern – Lusa

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Montepuez Ruby Mining reports another death of illegal miner, expresses concern – Lusa

4:14 CAT | 17 Sep 2020

Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) announced on Tuesday the death of a miner following the collapse of an illegal excavation on the company’s concession, saying it was concerned about the growing number of incidents at the site.

The company was not aware of the incident on the day it occurred, September 7th, but was informed by a member of the Ntoro community the following day that an illegal miner had died in the collapse of a mine in the MRM concession on the night of September 7, 2020, and that his body had been exhumed and taken to the cemetery by fellow miners.

After police investigations, and with the company’s assistance ,it was ascertained that the deceased was an “illegal miner, aged 33, from Angoche, Nampula province”.

According to the company, the man “died inside an illegal mine he had dug himself, in the Ntoro area of the MRM mining concession, when the soil collapsed”.

A second illegal miner, aged 31 and also from Angoche, suffered minor injuries, adds MRM.

At the time, according to the company, “two other illegal miners, who were present during the incident, recovered the body and transported it that night to the village of N’Sembia”.
The victim was buried the following day, September 8, in the local cemetery.

The details of the incident were confirmed by members of the local community and other illegal miners.

Earlier this year, members of MRM’s protection services were attacked by illegal miners.

The company admits that “the growing number of incidents, attacks and fatalities involving illegal miners in the Montepuez Ruby Mining concession is a major concern” .

The situation harms the company, but also “local communities, whose villages are affected by the influx of illegal miners from distant cities, neighbouring provinces and foreign countries”, the statement warns, adding that “unsafe practices […] are usually supervised or coerced by illegal gem smuggling syndicates financed by foreign merchants”.

This scenario “continues to result in the unnecessary loss of human life in the area”.

In the same communiqué, MRM says it has frequently warned of the dangers of illegal mining and urged that such activities be stopped.

“In the past six months, at least 25 people, mostly young men from foreign countries or distant villages, have lost their lives carrying out illegal mining activities without security in the MRM concession, often buried in the collapse of the mines,” MRM says.

“These incidents have been reported to the authorities, both at the provincial and federal level, in the hope that more proactive measures will be taken against those who are financing, facilitating and encouraging the illegal trade in Mozambican rubies,” the mining company says, adding that the situation “harms Mozambique and its population, as a result of both the loss of life and the deprivation of much-needed tax revenues”.

Montepuez Ruby Mining Limitada (MRM) is a Mozambican company operating in the Montepuez ruby deposit in Cabo Delgado, north-eastern Mozambique. The concession covers approximately 33,600 hectares and is the most recently discovered ruby deposit in the world.

Source: Lusa