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Ahmsa Halts Mexico Coal Mine Output After Six Killed
08/09/2012 - Mexican integrated steelmaker Altos Hornos de Mexico Sa de CV (Ahmsa) halted operations at Mine VII of its Mimosa mining unit following the death of six miners last Friday.
Mexican integrated steelmaker Altos Hornos de Mexico Sa de CV (Ahmsa) halted operations at Mine VII of its Mimosa mining unit following the death of six miners last Friday.
The miners were killed when the coal mine collapsed in the Northern state of Coahuila on 3 August.
Ahmsa doesn't know how long the work stoppage will last, it said in a filing with the Mexican Stock Exchange.
In the short term, Ahmsa's steel output won't be affected since the coal needed for the operation of blast furnaces at its steel works in Monclova will be supplemented by other mine operations, it said.
The explosion was triggered when a large volume of methane gas ignited, causing 100 tonnes oc coal to collapse. At least 285 miners were evacuated from the mine without any further incident, the company said earlier this week.
The accident marked the second disaster at a small coal mine in northern Mexico in less than 10 days. On 25 July, an explosion killed seven miners, highlighting poor safety conditions in small mines in the Latin American country.
In 2006, a methane explosion at the Piedras Negras Mine, owned by Grupo Mexico SA de CV, killed 65 miners.
