A four- year-old girl is missing after a non-toxic discharge of water, sand and clay at a titanium mine worked by Irish mining group Kenmare Resources in Mozambique.
According to the Dublin-based company, a settling pond adjacent to the mine breached its wall at 2am today in the village of Topuito, which lies in the Moma district in the north of the country, affecting 115 houses.
In a statement issued to the Iseq today, the company said a search is under way for the child, and that affected residents have been moved to temporary accommodation.
"Mining operations have been suspended for the moment and restoration work has already commenced at the village of Topuito," the company said.
Mining at Moma is done using two dredges and a floating concentrator plant. Once the minerals are extracted, sand and clay are deposited behind the plant through a series of settling ponds. A containment wall on one of these settling ponds failed early this morning, Kenmare said.
The company's managing director, Michael Carvill, will arrive in Momo later today.
“Everything will be done to locate the missing child and to relocate and support the individuals affected by the incident. Kenmare will fully investigate the incident and will also co-operate with the authorities in this regard,” he said.