Congratulations to Pan American Silver (PAA.to) (PAAS)...

...for managing to kill two of its workers in Peru in separate accidents this last month. An impressive tally even by your pathetic health and safety record

And as is usual for the PAAS there are no work stoppages, no inquiries, no announcements in the press about the fatal accidents. The only place to find out about the PAAS deaths is at the right page buried in the centre of the Peru Mining Ministry website and it's only there because PAAS is obliged by law to pass the information along.

So spare a thought for Ronald Edson Comun Espinoza who was working as a contractor at Pan American Silver's Huaron mine. And spare another thought for Santos Martin Solano Salvador, who was a full-time employee at Pan American Silver's Quiruvilca mine. Because they're both dead now.

Another Colombia mining accident

Peru officially killed 64 miners in 2010, in Chile is was 35 (I think, but if not it's very close) UPDATE the correct answer is 43 deaths, here's the web page and thanks to Setty for the headsup) Meanwhile, the Colombian death toll went over 200 last year in the most dangerous place to make a living underground outside of China.

This morning, another multiple person accident is reported as 30 men are trapped undergound after a coal mine explosion in the North Santander region and that number may be as high as 40. Also, being the type of accident it is (gas explosion underground in a coal mine), we have to hope for the best but fear the worst on this one.

And just to put a bit of icing on this cake, the very same mine, called 'La Preciosa' (trans: "The Precious", but it's not looking so valuable right now) managed to kill 31 of its workers in 2007 in a similar accident.

UPDATE: Midday local time and it's grim: 23 confirmed deaths with likely more to come. Six injured now in hospital.

Gold Fields (GFI) and Pan American Silver (PAAS) (PAA.to): One thing in common, one thing different

One Thing In Common

Both Gold Fields (GFI) and Pan American Silver (PAA.to) (PAAS) have plenty of mine worker deaths on their track records. Here's the latest from GFI, meanwhile the 14 deaths suffered by the PAAS workforce in Peru since 2006 (in many and varied accidents) are noted here.

One Thing Different

Gold Fields shuts down its operations to investigate the deaths on its shifts. Meanwhile PAAS  clearly doesn't give a rat's ass about the people it employs and just keeps the machine rolling, never closing down to investigate its long track record of negligence. 

The mining company I'd prefer in my portfolio is the one that at least tries to make an effort on its accident rate. The company I reject out of hand is the twisting bullshitters who hide the multiple deaths behind award gongs received in other countries from other mines. Ross Beaty, do you really give a damn? Is it all just for show and the money? C'mon dude, explain why so many people have died at your mines one time, willyaz?

Why Peruvian miners should celebrate September 2000, ten years ago this month

It's fiesta material because September 2000 was the last month Peru's mining industry got through without registering a fatality in its midst.

It's funny to think that in a few weeks time Chile will be celebrating like nobody's business when the 33 trapped miners there get rescued, while in Peru nobody thinks twice about the 663 deaths due to mine accidents in its formal mining industry since January 2000 (I mean, only the good Lord knows how many more informals never came back from a day's work) . Data from here.

Copiapo, Chile, Mining Accident - Video and News

This video is dedicated to the miners, their families and all the helpers!

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Zoom

Copiapo Mining Accident: San Jose Mine, Map and News

Video, Map, and News
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Copiapo Mining Accident: San Jose Mine

Colombia's coal mining accident

As very few people out there seem to give a shit about this, let's try again. Here's the always good Alonso Soto of Reuters on this horrible accident that would be headline news if the people who died spoke English or if the country of the accident wasn't high on the lovelist of people who speak English and want no evil spoken of its loveliness.

Hopes fade for survivors after Colombia mine blast

Jun 19, 2010 14:51 EDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Relatives of Colombian miners trapped in a coal mine began to lose hope of finding them alive on Saturday, three days after a blast buried 50 workers and killed at least 19 others.

Rescuers struggled with debris and gas after the explosion in northwestern Antioquia province late on Wednesday. Emergency workers tried to reach deep into the mine but said there was little chance of finding any miners alive 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) below the surface.

“The last thing you lose is hope, but we have no certainty or evidence that there are people alive down there,” said Alfredo Munoz, head of emergency services in Antioquia. “Rescue operations continue, but the gas buildup is slowing efforts.”

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe met relatives of the dead and missing in Amaga, a poor, rural town where the casualties were being buried in mass outdoor funerals.

“It has been hard to pull out the bodies, hopes are fading now,” said Byron Ossa, a police officer waiting for news of a missing relative who worked at the mine.

Uribe’s visit came a day before Colombians pick a new president in elections, putting in the spotlight on mining safety regulations. Colombia’s mining industry ranges from huge deposits run by multinationals to hundreds of small, makeshift pits that produce coal for continues here

Amazon boat accident

News is filtering through of a nasty accident on the Peru stretch of the Amazon, close to the border with Colombia. A boat carrying around 150 people is reported sunk, going down at 2:15am local time this morning and most of the passengers are currently listed as missing. Two dead have been confirmed to now. There are reports of the sound of banging coming from inside the sunken craft, presumably from people trapped inside. No news yet on how many people managed to swim to the river bank but may still be officially missing.

UPDATE: Reports are still patchy, with unofficial word coming through that at least 80 people who were asleep on the boat when it went down are now safe, but there are still more than 100 unaccounted for and there's also talk of around 40 people trapped inside the sunken craft. Also (surprise surprise), the boat that is licensed to carry up to 170 people was probably carrying more than 250. That snippet will not come as a shock to anyone that has travelled The Amazon.

Raspadskaya Coal Mine Accident - Video, News and Map

60 dead in Russian coal mine blasts.

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Raspadskaya Coal Mine Accident

Mining Accidents, Disasters - Index

A mining accident is an accident that occurs in the process of mining minerals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the process of coal mining and hard rock mining.

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Mining Accidents, Disasters - Index

Montcoal West Virginia Mine Explosion

The Montcoal West Virginia Mine Explosion has killed 25 people and four others are unaccounted for according to CNN.

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Montcoal West Virginia Mine Explosion

Dying to visit the Nazca Lines

monkey gonna gitcha

Today another light aircraft that takes tourists on overflights of the Nazca Lines in southern Peru crashed, the death toll at six (not three as first reported) includes the pilot and FIVE (not two as first reported) foreign tourists (as yet unidentified). So add this one to the five French tourists killed on the same trip in April 2008 and the litany of crashes at this tourist attraction over the years. You only get to hear about the ones that kill people normally, but the amount of emergency landing incidents far outweigh the bleeds/leads stories.

I've been on the overflight tour myself, as my brother will witness. I've never forgiven him for getting me on that plane (and he'll now send me a snarky mail to remind me of my face colour when we got out the craft).

Update: We now know that the crash killed seven people, including the pilot, three Peruvian nationality tourists and three Chilean nationality tourists. We offer our sincere condolences to their loved ones.

Mining Accident: A Haul Truck

A mining accident is an accident that occurs in the process of mining minerals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the process of coal mining and hard rock mining. Most of the deaths today occur in developing countries.
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Mining Accident: A Haul Truck.

Mining Accident: Quarry's Crash. Video and News

A mining accident is an accident that occurs in the process of mining minerals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the process of coal mining and hard rock mining. Most of the deaths today occur in developing countries.
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Mining Accident: Quarry's Crash.

Chart of the day is....

...the annual number of road traffic accident deaths in Argentina, 1996 to 2009.

(click to enlarge)

The stats for 2009 were published by the official counters of these things in Argentina yesterday, an organization known as 'luchemos por la vida'. At 7,885 deaths last year there was a minimal 4% drop, but it's still one helluva dangerous place to hang on the roads. By way of context with a similar sized serious country, The UK saw 2,943 deaths in 2007 (60m inhabitants to the 40m or so in Argentina).

No need for the Martin Redrado soap opera to show that Argentina is not a serious country. The evidence abounds.

Winchumayo, Peru: Adding more death to the shame of corrupt politico Tomas Cenzano

Tomas knows absolutely nothing.

We've had the misfortune of mentioning twice on this blog the social trainwreck known as the Winchumayo mine in the Itaupa region of Puno, Peru. Today comes episode three of the saga.

• First, this post in March chronicled the landslide and resulting multiple deaths at the site.

• Next, this post on September 22nd explained how, contrary to several pieces of legislation, APRA party member of congress Tomás Cenzano just happens to be an owner of the mine. Not only that, but the scumball hasn't paid taxes for gawdknows how long and according the Peru's SUNAT tax office his company owes the state over U$34m in unpaid tributes.

• Now the latest from the Winchumayo mine is how, on Saturday, locals held a meeting to discuss the true owenrship of the mine, how it would move forward etc. While the meeting was happening, a gang of masked men attacked the assembled group and left (according to reports) between three and ten dead and many people injured.

If one day you find yourself in a jeweller's shop in Peru buying gold, have a think about what kind of people you're supporting with your potential purchase. The whole episode is still shrouded in some mystery, with obfuscation aggregated by an idiot of an Interior Minister (APRA party surprise surprise) Octavio Salazar who acted too hasily on erroneous police information and declared to the country that there had been no deaths whatsoever and only five injured, which is clearly untrue according to multiple local reports and hospital stats. What's certainly true is that there was a meeting of locals and then an organized band of hoods moved in with firearms and blades to add their point of view to the discussions taking place.

The question, as always, is 'cui bono?' and the answer comes in Latin, too; status quo.

Meanwhile, the scumball Cenzano is trying his hardest to wash his hands. This morning he stated to local newspaper Los Andes that "I no longer have anything to do with the mine, I have already transferred everything", which translated into LatAm realspeak likely means "I've signed all my ownership rights to this social, environmental and political deathtrap to some friend or other until this all blows over and then he'll sign it all back to me later".

Your tax dollars at work

Chris Bendsen (for it is he)

In the wee small hours of Tuesday (04:10 to be exact), the US Consul General in Chile, a certain Chris Bendsen, managed to fall asleep at the wheel of his car and do this to the front end after a rapid stop against a wall in a posh corner of downtown Santiago.


He admitted to officers that arrived at the scene that he'd "had a little to drink" but then played the diplomatic immunity card and refused the mandatory alcohol breath test. He was then taken along to the local police station where he claimed full diplomatic immunity and was released under no charges a couple of hours later....out of a side door....to avoid the press corps that had gathered by then.

Good to know that the US reputation in Latin America is being held to its normal standards, no?

UPDATE: Sadly, I've been informed that the following photo is of the Bendsen's ride..not nearly as bad as he deserves.

Peru counts its mining dead again

At around 7:30am today, the continuous heavy rainfall in the mountainous region between Peru and bolivia resulted in a massive landslide which completely covered the mining camp belonging to the privately owned Winchomayo Mining Company situated in the district of Ituata, province of Carabaya in the Puno region of Peru.

According to eyewitness reports, there is not a single house left standing. Eight dead bodies have been recovered from the rocks and mud. At least 22 other miners are as yet unaccounted for.

Local media coverage of this terrible accident can be found here. Those miners and mining company employees that follow IKN out there might like to remember that phrase about the grace of God around about now.

UPDATE: English language coverage from Bloomberg and Reuters.

Peru's GDP growth miracle revealed

I've been sitting here this morning wondering how Peru's FinMin liar Carranza can possibly claim his country will grow by 5% and "lead the world in growth" in 2009, while neighbour Chile (a far more serious nation) predicts its growth at a mere 1.2% (a wholly believable figure, FWIW). And I've come to the only possible conclusion that makes any logical sense:

It must be the bus accidents.

Peru is a notoriously dangerous place to travel by road, with a lax and corrupt government that takes bribes from lax and corrupt bus companies so that they never ask too many questions about the way they run their plant and drivers into the ground for the sake of an extra dollar in profit. I mean, if you have two drivers working 12 hour shifts it beats the hell out of 3 doing eight hours each, does it not? And who needs new rubber on tires anyway?

In fact the last 24 hours have been pretty typical on the highways and byways of Peru, with this crash yesterday killing 10 and another crash in this report killing 14 people this morning. But the thing is, if you base your life on GDP as the prime measurement for a country's development, these horrific deaths are good news for Peru. It works like this:

Upside: Here's an approximation of all the economic activity the two bus crashes are creating:

24 funerals @ U$1,000 = U$24,000
Media coverage (reporter's pay, extra newspaper copies sold etc) = U$50,000
Cost of three replacement buses = U$240,000
Emergency services attention (single crew for 24 hours per accident) =U$7,000

Then the downside, as you have to subtract what these people would have earned during the year if they weren't now dead.

Subtract 24 lost salaries at National Average for 2009 = -U$96,000

Final Benefit to Peru = $225,000

Or in other words, by killing these 24 people on the roads of Peru, the country has managed to triple their contribution to country GDP in 2009! With so many accidents and deaths reported on Peru's highways every year, it's not surprising after all that it will outgrow Chile in 2009.

And if you're looking at this post and thinking it's a trick, believe me that this is a pretty fair ballpark on how GDP calculations work. For example, the bushfires in Australia right now will be looked upon as a benefit by economists. I betcha Twobreakfasts is hoping for another big earthquake this year.

Argentina's macho men

C'mon, join in the chorus folks;
"Macho macho man...i wanna be a macho man.."

Mar Del Plata is the place Buenos Aires goes to in January. The country's biggest seaside resort gets an enormous influx of Porteños every January and February that want to forget about big city life for a couple of weeks and kick back and do some serious R&R, Argentine style.

Unfortunately, the typical Argentine macho man's idea of relaxation includes acting like a complete asshole. This report caught my eye yesterday in Argentina's Clarin national daily that tells how police in Mardel carried out a breath test campaign on drivers over the weekend. The result was that so many drivers failed the alcohol test (0.5mg/l) that the police compound quickly overflowed with the 60 confiscated cars and they had to park them on the roads around the lot. These breath tests are part of a brand new campaign tied to a new points system of road infractions, and it's a system that has had the average boludo on the street moaning and whinging about civil liberties.

Argentina is not a serious country, but that's not because of its government; it has the jokers that it has in office because they're all the idiot population deserves. Take a look at this chart that shows just how many people die on the roads in Argentina every year.

In 2008, they managed to kill 8,205 people, 40% of whom popped their clogs in the Buenos Aires province. That's over 22 people per day. Or to give you a different perspective here's a comparative chart for the year 2006.

Worldwide, transit accidents is number nine in the list of people killing activities. In Argentina it's number three. It's just a damned pity that it doesn't just kill the moronic macho "I'm a better driver with a drink inside me" criminals who think they're normal. If it did it'd kill two birds with one stone (pardon the pun).

Two final thoughts:

• Gov't studies in Urban Argentina show that women drivers use their seat belts 49% more often than men. Women also break red lights 52% less often than men. The guilty are men, not women.

• Personally speaking, I've seen plenty of LatAm in my time and know that in most parts the driving is reckless (compared to up North, at least). However IMHO Argentinians are the worst of the lot. They all want to be Fangio. Just google the words "picada auto Argentina" and see what I mean. No doubt there will be 8,000 fewer of them next year.