Ivanhoe Mines has suspended underground mining activities at its Kakula mine, part of the larger Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a seismic disturbance in the mine’s eastern section.
The company said mining was halted on Sunday after seismic movements were detected. All personnel were safely evacuated, and mobile machinery was removed from the area. No injuries have been reported.
In a statement released Tuesday, Ivanhoe confirmed that geotechnical experts and senior management have been deployed to assess the underground damage. While seismic activity has reduced considerably over the past 24 hours, the western section of the Kakula mine has already been deemed safe, with operations expected to resume there shortly.
Meanwhile, inspections are ongoing in the eastern section, where infrastructure such as pumping systems may have sustained damage.
Despite the disruption, the mine’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 concentrators continue to function, though at reduced capacity, by processing ore from existing surface stockpiles. As of April 30, the Kamoa-Kakula site had approximately 3.8 million tonnes of high- and medium-grade ore on surface, with an estimated blended copper grade of 3.2%. Ore from the western zone will be fed into the plant once mining resumes in that area.
Ivanhoe also confirmed that underground mining at the nearby Kamoa mine and operations at the new Phase 3 concentrator remain unaffected.
