Liberian Mine Disaster Kills 200

A Liberian iron ore mine, under partial management by a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, was the site of a disaster in early October when "a rain-swollen tailings dam burst and swamped" the mining camp directly below the dam the African Economic Digest reported.

"More than 200 people are feared dead," noted the weekly business magazine.

Among the dead were some children under the age of five, the Liberian embassy in Washington told Multinational Monitor.

Liberia's president, Samuel Doe, declared a national emergency and has ordered the army to help rescue the 1,500 people in the mining camp.

The mining operation is owned by the Liberian National Iron Ore Company. The state-owned firm signed a technical assistance agreement on March 2 with MET-CHEM, a wholly-owned U.S. Steel subsidary. MET-CHEM agreed to rehabilitate the 10 year old mine and increase production.

"We just supply the brains for the management," M. Journax, general manager of MET-CHEM, told Multinational Monitor.

Liberia's ministry of mines is currently conducting an investigation into the disaster to see who is liable.

Iron ore provided Liberia with $300 million in export earnings last year, but the revenues have since fallen off due to the world recession, according to the African Economic Digest.

- Ron Millar