(TibetanReview.net, May16’23) – Six workers have been reported missing after an accident on May 14 at the Julong Copper and Polymetallic mine which is located in Maldrogungkar (Chinese: Mozhugongka) County of Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region. Nothing has been stated about the ethnic identity of the missing miners, although mines in occupied Tibet are known to employ Chinese workers brought in from mainland China.
China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. said May 15 that it stopped operations at the mine amid a hunt for the missing six, reported Reuters May 15. The missing miners were stated to be working for a subcontractor.
Contact with the six workers was lost when a lift cage fell during construction of shafts in the drainage system of the Julong Copper and Polymetallic Mine, Zijin has said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, adding that the mine had suspended production.
Julong Copper produced 115,000 tonnes of the metal, used in power and construction, in 2022 and planned to produce 152,000 tonnes in 2023, the report said.
Zijin Mining holds a 50.1% stake in the Tibet Julong Copper Co. which operates the mine. Tibet Julong Copper holds three mining rights: the Qulong Copper and Polymetallic Mine, the Rongmucuola Copper Mine and the Zhibula Copper and Polymetallic Mine.
The global copper market is expected to see a deficit this year of about 114,000 tonnes, the report said, citing the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) in April.