Rescue crews recovered the body of José Manuel Fernández Martínez (Papo), the miner buried in the tunnel at the Dominican Mining Corporation (Cormidom) Cerro de Maimón copper and zinc mine. Fernandez’s body was trapped after a cave-in in the early morning of 7 December 2021. The more than 2,000 tons of debris that fell on the worker made the location of the corpse difficult, delaying the recovery of the corpse to 20 December, the company explained.
The accident occurred in one of the work fronts in the mine tunnel, where the young man was with two other colleagues, who were uninjured.
The Dominican Mining Corporation (Comirdom) issued a note reporting on the body’s recovery. “All the executives and collaborators of our company are deeply shocked, together with Papo’s family and the community of Maimon by this unfortunate event that represents an irrecoverable loss for his wife and children and all of us who knew him. As has been our priority in this process, we will continue to stand by the Fernandez family in these sad hours of grief and be with them. We ask that we please allow them to have the peace they need at this time,” reads the note.
The company says that the operations at the mine were closed, with work continuing only in the essential areas for the maintenance of the mine, the community and the environment.
“And we continue to provide psychological support to our collaborators who require it, in the midst of this situation that affects us all,” says the company.
The mining company said that together with the authorities, it will continue to inform the public about the findings of the investigation.
The Dominican Mining Corporation (Cormidom), a Chinese company, operates the Cerro de Maimón mine. The mine is the country’s first underground mining operation. Mining so far had used the open pit mining model.
The Cerro de Maimón Sur mine projects a nominal yield of 1.2 million tons of ore per year, expected to generate more than US$2 billion from the commercialization of minerals. The underground mining operation extended the mine’s useful life until 2032. The mine is expected to produce 20,000 tons of copper concentrate and 20,000 tons of zinc concentrate per year when the maximum production point is reached.
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Diario Libre
El Dinero
21 December 2021