Worker dies at Eldorado Gold Skouries project in Greece

Construction of batching plant at Skouries. (Image courtesy of Eldorado Gold.)

Canada’s Eldorado Gold (TSX:ELD)(NYSE:EGO) said Tuesday a contractor employee at its Skouries gold and copper project in Greece was struck by a branch from a falling tree Monday, and the accident resulted in fatal injuries.

“Our deepest condolences and support go out to the individual’s family, friends and colleagues at this time,” George Burns, Eldorado’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said in the statement. “Safety is our top priority at Eldorado Gold and we are committed to the well-being of our employees and contractors on all of our sites.”

The contractor employee was struck by a branch from a falling tree on Monday.

The Vancouver-based company noted an investigation related to the incident was already underway.

Eldorado, which already operates one mine in the north of Greece — Stratoni —, has been trying to develop the Skouries and Olympias projects for years, but local opposition and an ongoing back-and-forth with authorities have delayed progress.

The biggest differences between the company and Greek authorities revolve around testing methods applied to comply with environmental regulations at Skouries, whose final permits are still pending. Last month, the company said production is now targeted for 2020, adding it had reviewed the project’s capital spending.

Licensing for the company’s Olympias project is in the final stage and Eldorado had said it expects to begin production at the gold, silver, zinc and lead mine before year-end.

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