This is Already the Second Major Accident in 4 Years: Environmental and Mining Inspection Body Reports

The Republic of Armenia's Environmental and Mining Inspection Body has reported that on April 15, 2022, at approximately 8:45 AM, a pipe failure occurred at the tailings pipeline belonging to the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, specifically at the 4th ducker (Kajaran-Arzvanyk tailing dam).

“Employees of the Environmental and Mining Inspection Body’s Syunik territorial division immediately went to the scene. According to preliminary information, the tailings leakage filled the basin designated for emergency situations. Measures are being taken within the framework of the administrative proceedings to ascertain the possible damage to the environment and the causes of the accident,” the report stated.

Green Armenia NGO recalls that this is already the second major accident in 4 years; the previous incident occurred at the ZCMC on October 17, 2019, when a criminal case was initiated in the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia, yet to this day, there has been no information regarding the fate of that case.

Recently, AURORANEWS published coverage regarding this new accident. In the response letter from the inspection, there is no indication of initiating a criminal case, only mentioning the term administrative proceedings.