Mine vandalism bill may hit $1m
Vandals ‘knew what they were doing’, says manager
AWest Coast gold mining company says deliberate destruction of its heavy machinery has left it facing a huge bill.
The company’s manager found the damaged gear when he arrived at the mine on Tuesday.
The attack follows similar damage in June when gear at a nearby mine was also wrecked.
The manager said keys to vehicles used at the mine were kept at an on-site office, which had been broken into.
“They then jumped in a digger and used it to smash the other vehicles.
“There were three big 20-tonne trucks, a fuel tanker,
a loader, and two or three diggers smashed,” he said.
Images show a loader pushed on its side, a truck and trailer pushed over with its cab smashed up and contents tipped out, a fuel truck with a smashed-in roof, and a digger with its door and panels smashed in.
The manager said insurance investigators were yet to assess the damage, but he picked it to be around $500,000-$700,000.
“To replace them will probably cost over $1 million, but it depends on the insurance analyser.”
He said he “felt awful” on discovering the damage, which followed the theft of a small amount of gold worth about $7000.
“It’s horrible because we need to mine to get all our costs covered, and I am not sure if insurance will cover the lost income,” he said.
The manager said the offenders also stole a digger battery and a couple of tools.
He said police had taken finger prints and were investigating.
“They will let me know once there is any information.”
He said he wondered whether the latest vandalism and the attack in June were related.
“The people who damaged the machinery must be a really good digger operator because there was not much mud on the ground, it was very clean,” he said.
“They knew what they were doing, so I don’t think it was young people.”