Nanisivik claims second life in five months

A 46-year-old man, formerly of Hamilton, Ont., was killed in the early hours of New Year’s Day at the Nanisivik zinc-silver mine on the northern tip of Baffin Island, Nunavut.

The man was operating a rock crusher at around 2 a.m., police said. It appears he fell into the crusher and was killed immediately.

A nearby employee discovered the body on the conveyor belt when he responded to a safety alarm.

The body was flown to Ottawa, where an autopsy will be performed.

“We’re not releasing the name yet, not until we identify the body,” says Clare Kines, a corporal for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He added he does not suspect foul play.

The deceased was well-trained and had operated the crusher on and off since 1990.

The death happened exactly five months after the death of another Nanisivik worker, Jacques Robitaille, who was killed when a rock fell on him underground. The deaths are blemishes on an otherwise clean safety record at the mine.

Low zinc prices, combined with an 18% decline in head grades, left Nanisivik with an $8.3-million operating loss in the first half of 2001. As a result, the owner, Breakwater Resources, intends to shut down the mine in September.

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