Zijin Mining Says Tin Mine Dam Collapse Led to Four Deaths, Investigation

Zijin Mining Group Co. said four people died after a tailingbenefication of magnetite iron ores dam collapsed, adding to safety concerns at China’s biggest gold producer two months after another accident poisoned almost 2,000 metric tons of fish. The dam at Zijin Mining’s Xinyi Yinyan tin mine broke on Sept. 21 after a landslide triggered by heavy rains from Typhoon Fanapi, the Fujian-based company said in a statement yesterday. The Guangdong provincial government is investigating, it said.

The incident comes after Zijin Mining pledged to improve its management and invest more on safety measures after toxic waste from a copper mine leaked into the Ting River in Fujian province, leading to investigations by the securities regulator and the police. A safety permit was obtained from the Guangdong province for its tin tailing pool, the company said yesterday. “We lack the official investigation results to know what happened,” Heng Kun, a Shanghai-based analyst at Essence Securities Co., said by phone. “This time it may just be an accident caused by the landslide. The July toxic spill was not purely an accident.”