TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canadian gold producer Lake Shore Gold said a worker who was part of a crew heading development underground, died at its Timmins West mine in northern Ontario.

Full details of the accident were unknown, and the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ministry of Labour and the company’s management were investigating the incident, the Toronto-based firm said.

“We are concentrating our efforts on supporting the family and our employees at the mine site and on investigating the incident to understand exactly what occurred,” Lake Shore CEO Tony Makuch said in a media release late on Monday.

The company said it had notified the victim’s immediate family, but was withholding the name of the worker “pending completion of the notification process”.

“Our focus has always been and will remain on the health and safety of our people,” Makuch said.

Lake Shore had earlier on Monday reported a new reserve at the Timmins West operation, located 18 km from the town of Timmins, of 823 848 oz, grading 5.21 g/t of gold. That was enough to sustain the mine for five years of production, the company said.

That news had sent the company’s share price 12.6% higher on the TSX to close at C$1.16, with 48-million shares changing hands, making it the most heavily traded stock on the Toronto bourse for the day.
 

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