A decline in labour unrest and safer mines have made exposure to gold a less-risky proposition. Plus, a leap in share prices, brought on in part by a weaker rand, has boosted local producers.
Landslide in Papua New Guinea kills 15 gold miners, children
A landslide in Papua New Guinea’s Central Province buried alive 15 people, including 3 children, on December 28.
The horrific incident occurred between 4 and 5 a.m. Heavy rains triggered a large movement of mud, trees and logs which engulfed a makeshift long hut at the base of a hill. Makeshift rescue efforts were unsuccessful, after people attempted to dig through the mud using only shovels and sticks.
Bodies recovered from the landslide (Credit: Central Province administration)
News of the disaster took more than a day to emerge due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of Saki village, in Central Province’s Goilala District. With no mobile phone coverage and no roads, access requires a helicopter trip or a two hour walk. The area is only around 100 kilometres north of the country’s capital Port Moresby the lack of basic transport and communication infrastructure reflects the enormous poverty in the former Austr