Elevated levels of cyanide have been detected in a waterway after an equipment failure and slide of ore at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine last week, the Yukon’s minister of energy, mines and resources said.
A government expert said at the same briefing on Thursday that 300 million litres of cyanide solution had escaped containment in the June 24 incident and there was “significant” risk of a further slide at the mine.
The briefing by mines minister John Streicker and other officials came hours after Victoria Gold issued a statement saying it had detected no cyanide in surface water after the slide. The firm also announced it had received notices of default from its lenders related to a US$200-million credit agreement.
But Streicker said elevated cyanide levels of about 40 parts per billion were collected in a creek, a level higher than the allowable five parts per billion, and which “could potentially affect fish.”
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