Workers at cyanide mine had photographed cracks: Notable expert detail
Nine workers were trapped under soil in a landslide at the cyanide mine in the İliç district of Erzincan. Photographs of cracks in the heap leach area, taken by workers before they were trapped, have been included as evidence in the expert report.
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The judicial and administrative investigation into the landslide that occurred on February 13 at the mine site in Çöpler village, in the İliç district of Erzincan, is ongoing. In this context, photographs of cracks in the heap leach area, taken by miners on the morning of the day the landslide occurred, were used as evidence in the expert report.
The photos show that deep fissures had formed in the soil accumulated in the heap leach area.
MINISTER BAYRAKTAR HAD ANNOUNCED
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, when asked by a journalist during a press statement in the region where the mine site is located whether it was true that workers had detected the crack on the day of the incident, warned the authorities, and were subsequently evacuated, stated: "We have received information to that effect here as well. It is unfortunately true that the workers in this area were evacuated, and that our 9 friends later returned to the scene for inspection purposes and were caught in this incident at that moment."
INCLUDED IN THE EXPERT REPORT
In the preliminary expert report prepared by a committee including an occupational safety expert, environmental, geological, civil, and agricultural engineers who conducted inspections at the mine site in Erzincan, 5 people, including the process oxide manager who "did not take timely precautions for the cracks in the heap," were found to be primarily at fault.
The report stated that it was determined that the deputy operations director, as an authorized person, had acted imprudently regarding the fact that the cracks formed in the heap leach in the morning could lead to negative consequences at the site, and it was concluded that he was primarily at fault in the accident that occurred.
The report further stated that the process oxide manager, despite knowing as a qualified person that the cracks posed a very high risk, ignored them and engaged in dangerous behavior, concluding that the person in question was primarily at fault in the incident.
It was emphasized that the oxide operations chief engineer, despite being warned repeatedly by the occupational safety expert regarding the cracks occurring in the heap leach, continued to supply solution and accelerated the movement in the heap leach, ignored the cracks even though he saw them reaching certain intervals, and despite knowing this risky situation, disregarded the evacuation of the area, thereby endangering the lives of the employees, and it was concluded that he was primarily at fault in the accident.
6 PEOPLE ARRESTED
In the investigation conducted by the Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the landslide at the mine, 6 suspects, including the company's Canadian manager J.R.G., were arrested, and 2 suspects were released under judicial control conditions.