Attack on second largest Kyrgyz gold mine leaves major damages

Work to develop Kyrgyzstan's second largest gold deposit has been halted after intruders smashed and torched facilities at the site during nationwide unrest Tuesday, the Russian-controlled company that operates the mine said. The Jeruy project should go into production later this year, with annual production eventually reaching 5.5 tons. Gold reserves at the deposit are estimated at 88 tonnes and ore mining has already started on the deposit. The raid took place amid protests in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, where the opposition wanted to seize power after a controversial parliamentary election. "Work has been suspended because of unauthorized entry of unknown persons into the mine area. More than 50 people arrived in cars. We were forced to stop work for safety reasons," said an Alliance Altyn spokeswoman. The intruders set fire to the gold mining factory and smashed everything they could find in administrative buildings, she said. Alliance Altyn is controlled by the Russian mining company Vostok-Geoldobycha. Kyrgyzstan's largest gold mining company, Kumtor, which is operated by Canada's Centerra Gold, has not yet reported any security incidents. Centerra said it was monitoring political events but that its activities would continue uninterrupted. Local news website Akipress said demonstrators had also shown up at smaller mines that were being developed by Chinese and Turkish companies and had demanded that they cease operations. It is unclear whether the companies have complied.