Miner killed in accident at Seabee

A gold miner has been killed in an accident at Claude Resources’ (CRJ-T, CGR-X) Seabee gold mine in northern Saskatchewan.

Corey Braaten was the object of a 3-day rescue attempt at the mine, near Laonil Lake, 125 km northeast of La Ronge. His body was recovered in the early morning of June 1 after rescuers drifted into the area where he had been working.

Braaten was operating a load-haul-dump (LHD) machine on the 800-metre level of the mine on May 29, when he was reported missing by a supervisor making a routine walkaround check on underground miners. Access to the workplace where Braaten had last been seen was blocked by muck (broken ore or waste) in the drift. Rescuers concluded the fastest way to get to Braaten was to drift across from another working, rather than to try and remove the rock obstructing the drift.

During the early stages of the rescue attempt, mine rescue teams had located the LHD Braaten had been operating, and a laser cavity-imaging device, lent to Claude by neighbour Cameco (CCO-T, CCJ-N), had established that the loader was sitting on broken rock about 10 metres above the 800-metre working level. There will be an investigation to determine what caused Braaten’s death.

Braaten was 29 years old and his widow in Birch Hills, Sask., is expecting their first child.