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Ivanhoe to restart flooded Congo copper mine partially in late June

Ivanhoe Mines announced on Monday that it will restart a closed section of the Kakula Copper Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was shut down due to underground seismic activity.

After tremors damaged underground infrastructure and caused flooding, the Canadian miner temporarily halted operations at its Kakula mine.

Ivanhoe said it plans to resume operations in the west side of the Kakula Mine, where the pumping equipment has been working. Ivanhoe stated that the eastern section of mine will resume operation once the water pumping is complete.

Ivanhoe's shares in Toronto rose by as much as 7.7%.

After installing temporary underground pumping equipment, the company claimed to have stabilized water levels. Ivanhoe stated that additional pumping equipment was ordered to remove all water from the mine.

Vancouver-based miner Ivanhoe initially suspended certain mining activities on 20 May after the Kakula underground mine was struck by frequent underground earthquakes. Ivanhoe has confirmed that mining and ore processing at the nearby Kamoa mine are not affected.

Last year, the Congo mines produced approximately 437,000 metric tonnes of metal. Ivanhoe suspended last week its production forecast for this coming year. It had been originally set between 520,000 to 580,000 metric tonnes of copper.

(source: Reuters)