Precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater informed its stakeholders of a significant flood event, which began on Monday, June 13, and had affected a widespread region surrounding its Stillwater Mine’s US platinum group metal (PGM) operations in Montana, US.
“A full assessment of the regional impact of the floods and the impact on the operations will be undertaken once the floodwaters have subsided, likely within the next few days, and this will be communicated to the market in due course,” it said.
The flooding of numerous rivers in the region followed a warm spell leading to a rapid melt of accumulated snow in the mountains and associated run-off, which was exacerbated by heavy rainfall over the weekend.
“Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. All employees at the Stillwater mine, the operation that has been most affected, are safe. A number of employees are at the Stillwater Mine site to maintain the integrity of the mine,” it said in a statement.
The road between Nye and the Stillwater mine had been eroded, and several bridges in the region damaged. This was likely to restrict access to the Stillwater mine for some period that would be better known in the next few days, it said. The East Boulder mine was less affected, and access currently remains intact.
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