Zijin Mining donates $7.5m for dam victims

HONG KONG - China's largest gold miner, Zijin Mining, has expressed "deep sorrow and regret" over a dam collapse in September that killed at least 22 people and offered to donate 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) to help victims of the tragedy.

In a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company said on Tuesday the dam breach was aggravated by the collapse of the Gaoqiling tailings pool dam of Yinyan Tin Mine, which was owned by Zijin Mining's subsidiary Xinyi Zijin.

The money, which will be donated to Xinyi city's bureau of civil affairs, is intended to assist victims downstream from Xinyi Zijin Yinyan Tin Mine to enable them to rebuild and "to fulfill the company's social responsibility", the statement said.