Petra Evacuates Cullinan After Wall Collapse

RAPAPORT... Three million tonnes of material fell into the open pit of Petra Diamonds' Cullinanmine in South Africa during a thunderstorm Saturday, the companysaid Wednesday. The collapse generated alarge plume of dust, which had "some effect on the local community," Petranoted. As a precautionary measure, the company temporarily evacuated allemployees and closed the mine for a day so that experts could assess the damageand risk. No one was hurt, as the company currently only carries out underground mining, and hasn't used the open-pit deposit for 50 years. The nearest Cullinan community is located on thesoutheastern corner of the pit, while the incident occurred in the southwesternportion. The miner will continue to monitor the pit walls to ensure there is norisk to the community, it said. "We will take whatever steps are necessary, including theengagement of external technical specialists if required, to better understandthis incident and any impact on future pit stability," Petra CEO Richard Duffyexplained. "The safety of our employees and surrounding communities continuesto remain our key focus. Our meetings with our partners in government, laborunions and the community earlier today were very constructive, and their valuedinput is appreciated." Petra does not expect the event to have a material impacton its production. Image: The Cullinan mine. (Petra Diamonds)