Hundreds storm office of Canadian gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, 55 wounded

BARSKOON, Kyrgyzstan – Hundreds of stone-throwing protesters have besieged a Canadian gold company’s office in Kyrgyzstan, clashing with riot police and prompting the Central Asian nation to declare a state of emergency.

Over 50 people were wounded and 80 detained in the clashes Friday, authorities said.

Protesters want the Kumtor gold mine to be nationalized and the company to provide more benefits. The mine, operated by Toronto-based Centerra Gold (TSX:CG), is the largest foreign-owned gold mine in the former Soviet Union.

The protest also triggered unrest in the southern city of Jalal-Abad, where hundreds stormed the governor’s office.

The protests threaten further turmoil in the ex-Soviet nation of five million people, which hosts a U.S. military base supporting military operations in nearby Afghanistan.

Demonstrators cut the road leading to Centerra’s Kumtor mine earlier this week and on Thursday some of the protesters entered a power transformer unit and cut electricity to the mine before dispersing for the night.

The company has said the mine has begun an orderly shutdown of its milling facility using power from a backup diesel generator and that mining operations have been suspended other than those to manage ice and waste.

Centerra said it is working with the government and local authorities to find a peaceful resolution of the situation.

— With files from The Canadian Press