A team from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism rushed to handle a cyanide spill after two trucks crashed near Otjiwarongo on Thursday. One truck from Coleman Transport carried 26,000kg of sodium cyanide headed for the B2Gold mine. The accident happened about 10km north of town on the B1 road. Officials found just one slightly damaged bag releasing solid cyanide blocks, which made up only 0.05% of the total shipment. Fuel also leaked from both trucks onto the ground.
Sodium cyanide exists as a white, toxic compound that dissolves in water. Mining companies use it to extract gold and silver from ore. The transport company had to hire a cleanup specialist right away. Ministry officials stayed at the scene to watch the cleanup process. They sent their chief scientist to check how the spill might affect people and nature. Haszkem Namibia CC, a company that knows how to clean chemical spills, came to help fix the problem. B2Gold sent their safety team with equipment to reduce any harm.
Health Ministry leader Penda Ithindi said they found no evidence of actual cyanide spillage but were still investigating. He told people the truck carried sealed bags with cyanide bricks, but saw no chemical leaking out. Road users received directions from emergency teams working together at the crash site. Officials asked everyone to follow instructions from authorities during the cleanup operation.
Sodium cyanide exists as a white, toxic compound that dissolves in water. Mining companies use it to extract gold and silver from ore. The transport company had to hire a cleanup specialist right away. Ministry officials stayed at the scene to watch the cleanup process. They sent their chief scientist to check how the spill might affect people and nature. Haszkem Namibia CC, a company that knows how to clean chemical spills, came to help fix the problem. B2Gold sent their safety team with equipment to reduce any harm.
Health Ministry leader Penda Ithindi said they found no evidence of actual cyanide spillage but were still investigating. He told people the truck carried sealed bags with cyanide bricks, but saw no chemical leaking out. Road users received directions from emergency teams working together at the crash site. Officials asked everyone to follow instructions from authorities during the cleanup operation.
