Zijin Mining announced on Saturday that production at its Buritica gold mine in Colombia has been halted due to an attack by assailants armed with homemade bombs damaging a critical power source.
The assault took place early Friday when the armed group breached the site, the largest gold mine in Colombia, situated in a rural area of Antioquia province where roadblocks and attacks by illegal miners are common occurrences.
No injuries were reported. Zijin attributed the incident to illegal miners attempting to extract gold from the mine.
In a statement released on Saturday, Zijin Continental Gold, the local unit of China-based Zijin, stated, "High-powered homemade bombs were thrown at our underground facilities, resulting in severe damage to the electrical substation and rendering the backup power source inoperable."
The attack also disrupted ventilation and drainage systems, according to Zijin.
As reported by the company, Buritica yielded 8.3 tons of gold in 2023. Previous attacks by illegal miners have disrupted operations at the mine.
The Mining Association of Colombia stated that the attack was part of a broader trend, citing three other recent attacks on mines across the country.
The association highlighted, "This serves as evidence of a pattern of systematic violence aimed at controlling resources and perpetuating illegality."