A contractor has been killed in an explosion at a mine site in Africa’s Ivory Coast owned by a Vancouver-based mining company.
Fortuna Mining Corp. (TSX: FVI, NYSE:FSM) said in a Tuesday press release that the fatality occurred at its Séguéla gold mine in Côte d'Ivoire. The company did not say when the accident happened.
“The tragic incident took place while an employee of Mapa Protection Incendie (MPI), a specialized service provider to the mine contractor Mota Engil, was conducting a planned refilling of fire extinguishers,” the company reports.
The company said in its release that the accident occurred in the contractor’s light vehicle workshop. Fortuna said the contractor was rushed to Séguéla City Hospital where he died. No others were injured in the explosion.
“The safety and well-being of the entire workforce is our top priority, and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to understand how this happened, and to prevent such incidents in the future,” Fortuna CEO Jorge Ganoza said in the release.
The Séguéla open-pit gold mine went into operation in 2023. In addition to the Séguéla mine, Fortuna also owns and operates precious metals mines in Burkino Faso, Mexico, Peru and Argentina.
