“Tragedy at Asanko Gold Mine: 2 Contractors Killed in Incident at Vancouver-based Operation in Ghana”

A Vancouver-based gold mining company reports the deaths of two contractors at its operation in the West African country of Ghana.

On Monday, Galiano Gold released a statement announcing that the two workers had been killed in an unspecified “incident” near a tailings dump at the Asanko gold mine a day earlier.

“On behalf of Galiano Gold, we offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends and associates of our two colleagues,” the company’s President and CEO Matt Badylak said in the statement.

The company says both contractors were pronounced dead at the scene.

Krista Muhr, an investor relations adviser at Galiano Gold, said she could not provide any further information about what happened while an investigation was underway.

Galiano Gold says it has notified authorities in Ghana. The last fatality reported at the mine was in 2015 when a contractor was killed.

Rodrigue Turgeon, co-head of Canada’s national program for industry surveillance, Mining Watch Canada, called for an independent investigation into the incident.

“While we still know too little about the causes of the human catastrophe, it is unfortunate that the ‘zero harm’ precautions taken by another overseas Canadian mining company are again insufficient to ensure the safety of all workers ‘ Turgeon said in a written statement.

“Canada must take responsibility for the impact of its mining companies operating overseas. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the contractors who died.”

The Asanko mine is operated by Galiano Gold in a joint venture with South African company Gold Fields Ltd. managed and operated.

According to Galiano Gold, about 2,600 people work at the mine, 99 percent of whom are Ghanaians.

The company was named Mining Company of the Year by the Ghanaian government in December.

CBC News has reached out to Ghana’s Minerals Commission for comment.

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