Two mining engineers employed by Continental Gold (TSX: CNL; US-OTC: CGOOF) in Colombia were attacked by armed men in the town of Buritica, near the company's gold project. One of the engineers died and the other is in stable condition.
The Buritic?? project, where Continental is building an underground mine, is about a two-hour drive on the Pan-American highway from Medellin, the country's second-largest city.
A translation of local news items on the Sept. 5 attack, provided by Peru-based analyst and blogger Mark Turner of IKN, said the engineers were travelling by truck to the mine site when they were "attacked by gunfire from the high point of the mountain."
The project area is situated in the middle Cauca belt and encompasses a total of 75,023 hectares in northwestern Colombia's Antioquia Department.
Construction is about 38% complete and the company expects to pour gold in the first half of 2020 with commercial production ramp-up about six months after that.
Continental says it is preparing to select a general contractor for the project and major infrastructure installation should begin before the end of the year.
Underground development is ahead of schedule and is about 25% complete.