Canada's Continental Gold (TSX:CNL) said Thursday three of its workers in Colombia died and several others were injured after a residence that housed exploration geologists and contractors was attacked overnight.
This is the second time in two weeks the Toronto-based miner mourns the death of staff members in the South American country. The recent incident took place in the village of Ochali within the boundaries of Continental's Berlin exploration project.
This is the second time in September Continental Gold mourns the death of staff members in the South American country.Earlier this month, two of the company's mining engineers were attacked by two armed individuals in the Town of Buritic??, near the company's flagship gold project. One of them died.
Local paper El Colombiano reports (in Spanish) that Thursday's charge is believed to have been conducted by ex-FARC dissident members that operate in the area.
In a statement, Continental Gold confirmed those rumours, noting details related to the severity of the assault were still unclear. "But the worst is feared," the miner said.
The FARC or People's Army was a guerrilla movement involved in Colombia's armed conflict from 1964 to 2017.
Continental's Buritica gold project has attracted the interest of major miners, including Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM), which last year plunked down $109 million for a 19.9% stake in the company. The move gave the US miner access to the junior's high-grade, fully permitted project, which is expected to pour its first gold in early 2020.