It caused the death of 9 workers: That mine is preparing to resume operations
Following the disaster at the Çöpler Gold Mine in İliç, Erzincan, owned by Anagold Mining, where nine workers lost their lives after a cyanide-laced landslide, it has been stated that the mining company is continuing its efforts to restart operations at the mine.
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In Erzincan's İliç district, nine workers were buried under a heap leach following a cyanide-laced landslide that occurred on February 13, 2024, at the Çöpler Gold Mine, owned by Anagold Mining. After months of search and rescue operations, the lifeless body of the last worker was recovered on June 8.
SSR Mining, the Canada-based parent company of Anagold Mining, released its second-quarter report on July 31, 2024. The report included the following statements regarding the Çöpler Gold Mine:
"WORKING CLOSELY WITH RELEVANT AUTHORITIES TO RESUME OPERATIONS"
"SSR Mining is working closely with the relevant authorities to resume operations at the East Storage Facility and the Çöpler mine and to obtain the necessary permits. Once all required legal approvals, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and operating permits, are obtained, initial activities at Çöpler are expected to stem from the processing of stockpiled ore through the sulfide plant, while the Çöpler mining team focuses on completing remediation efforts."
The company announced that it would request the reinstatement of the existing environmental impact assessment (2021 EIA) approved in 2021 and the necessary operating permits to restart activities. An expert report had previously pointed out that despite findings of "exceedances in certain parameters" in underground and surface water resources, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change had still "granted the EIA permit."
"NO NON-COMPLIANCE DETECTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR OPERATION OF THE HEAP LEACH PAD"
In the report, which states that the company 'cannot predict when and under what conditions operations at Çöpler will resume,' it was noted: “The company has engaged independent third parties to review the design, construction, and operation of the heap leach pad. While reviews are ongoing, to date, these reviews have not identified any material non-compliance with the design parameters engineered by third parties in the construction or operation of the heap leach pad.”
Ayhan Yüksel, President of the TMMOB Chamber of Mining Engineers, evaluated the statements in SSR Mining's report regarding their "working closely with relevant authorities for operational and EIA permits in İliç" to the ANKA News Agency. Yüksel stated the following:
"THEY HAVE STARTED EFFORTS FOR OPERATIONAL PERMITS AGAIN BECAUSE THERE IS A LARGE RESERVE"
"Anagold Mining has likely started efforts for operational permits again because the bodies have been recovered and there is a large reserve there that they want to extract. It has not yet reached the EIA stage. These types of international companies claimed to be conducting mining in accordance with high-standard mining science and technology on a global scale. However, we saw that this company did not operate this pit in accordance with science and technology. They did not consider human life or environmental health, which is why such a disaster occurred. The expert reports also reveal the negligence involved."
"TURKEY DOES NOT DESERVE THIS"
"Could this company conduct mining like this in its own country? Of course, it could not. It should not do so in our country either. This firm should not engage in mining activities in Turkey. When we look at the expert reports, we see they operate with a mindset that prioritizes profit and disregards human life, the environment, and nature. Turkey does not deserve this. It is not right for such mining to be conducted. This firm and firms operating in a similar manner should not be allowed to mine. In fact, firms operating with this mindset should be prevented from operating in all sectors in our country."
"THEY SHOULD ALSO BE MADE TO CLEAN UP THE DESTRUCTION THEY HAVE CAUSED BEFORE LEAVING"
"These firms are foreign. They are international firms subject to public oversight. Due to their past mistakes and their management and production philosophy, this firm should not be granted an operating permit in Turkey. This problem can be solved this way. In fact, they should not even be allowed to just pull out and leave without paying a price; they should be made to clean up the destruction they have caused before leaving."