VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) (TSX:FR) ("First Majestic" or the "Company") reports an accident occurred at its La Encantada Silver Mine in the state of Coahuila, Mexico.
The accident occurred as part of the construction of the 790 ramp at the La Encantada mine. A total of four miners lost their lives due to gas intoxication which accumulated in the area. There was no explosion as other media sources have reported. It is believed the operator of a scoop tram lost consciousness while mucking the area. Three additional miners later arrived to the scene to provide assistance to the ill miner. The four men were carrying all required personal protection equipment, including safety belt breathing apparatuses, but sadly did not use the equipment. The emergency response crew was dispatched and successfully extracted the four miners before transporting them to the local hospital where they were later pronounced deceased.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this tragic time," said Keith Neumeyer, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Safety is a top priority at First Majestic and we will continue to work to prevent such accidents from occurring."
The accident is being investigated by the Company and Mexican authorities. The workers' families have been notified. Immediately following the accident, First Majestic chose to cease mining operations at the mine in order to focus attention on the response and to provide support to the families of the deceased. The Company expects to resume mining operations on October 4, 2017 but the 790 area will remain closed until the investigation is completed.
About the Company
First Majestic is a mining company focused on silver production in Mexico and is aggressively pursuing the development of its existing mineral property assets. The Company presently owns and operates six producing silver mines; the La Parrilla Silver Mine, the San Martin Silver Mine, the La Encantada Silver Mine, the La Guitarra Silver Mine, Del Toro Silver Mine and the Santa Elena Silver/Gold Mine. Production from these six mines is projected to be between 10.0 to 10.6 million ounces of pure silver or 15.7 to 16.6 million ounces of silver equivalents in 2017.
