Cape Breton’s idled Donkin coal mine hit by roadway rockfall: province

A stop work order is back in place at Cape Breton’s idled Donkin coal mine after another rockfall.

Scott Nauss, the province’s senior director of inspection compliance, says the rockfall occurred sometime over the weekend but no one was in the mine at the time.

It was discovered early Monday by a skeleton crew that is helping to keep the facility in working order since it ceased operations on March 30.

At the time, operator Kameron Collieries ULC said it was ceasing production operations due to “adverse geologic conditions.”’

The move came after a section of the underground mine experienced two roof collapses within a two-week period in February – no one was hurt in either incident.

The latest rockfalls followed a roof collapse in July 2019, as well as two other rockfalls in December 2018.