West Wits says equipment at Derewo River gold project damaged

By Ruli Setiawan

ASX-listed West Wits Mining Limited said Tuesday it has received reports that equipment at its Derewo River gold project in Papua Province has been damaged. There are no reports of injury to any persons.

The company said in a statement it has been advised that local police are conducting an investigation into the matter and have already undertaken a visit to the site. The investigation is ongoing and is not expected to be concluded until at least the end of this week. ?At the time of this offence operations had been suspended for the Christmas New Year break,? the statement said.

?At this point the extent of the damage is unknown however the excavator is currently inoperable. Arrangements are being made for mechanics to travel to site to assess the damage but there will now be a delay to commissioning of the alluvial circuit as planned,? it added.

The company said it plans to meet with its Indonesian partner as soon as possible to review this incident and its impact on operations. ?We expect to be in a position to provide further updates on the situation following that review,? the statement ended.

West Wits said in December of last year that the presence of illegal miners ?constitutes an ongoing threat to stability and security? at its Derewo River gold project.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak