Blast rocks cobalt refinery
2007-01-22 13:58
Lusaka - An explosion at Zambia's Chambishi Metals has destroyed the furnace of one of Africa's biggest cobalt refineries and halted operations, said reports on Monday.
It was reported that the blast on Sunday afternoon injured one worker at the mine, owned by J and W Investment Group of Switzerland.
According to reports, mine chief executive officer Dereck Webbstock confirmed the incident, but declined to provide more details on the accident.
Chambishi mine was located in Kitwe, 400km north of Lusaka. It was near another Chinese-run mine, where 50 workers died in an explosion in 2002.
Mine accidents had increased recently in Zambia, sparking outrage among workers and locals who accused management of not maintaining adequate safety standards.
Zambia was one of the world's biggest copper producers, and had seen a sharp rise in mining after an increase in global demand.
- AFP