Mine spill damages houses

Mine spill damages houses

BUTUAN, Philippines (AP): Large amounts of mine waste spilled from an impounding dam at a Philippine gold mining company in the southern Philippines, damaging nearby houses and farms and forcing residents to evacuate, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said they had ordered the Manila Mining Corp. to stop mining operations at Magsaysay village in the coastal town of Placer in Surigao del Norte province and concentrate on preventing the spill from reaching a nearby sea and river.

Mayor Enrique Patinio said nearly 600,000 cubic meters of mud laden with cyanide and other toxic chemicals poured out of a damaged portion of a large concrete pipe carrying mine tailings from the containment pond to a water recycling plant.

A company inspector discovered mine waste gushing out of the pipe, which collapsed apparently from pressure last Thursday, Patinio said. The mine waste swamped about 40 hectares of nearby rice fields and mangroves and damaged about 20 houses.