North

30,000 litres of fuel spilled at Agnico Eagle facility near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut

A fuel hose leaked 30,000 litres of diesel fuel at a gold mine in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. The hose was connected to a 100,000-litre diesel storage tank.

Company says fuel spill contained, did not reach surface water sources

Gold miners work in the open pit mine at Agnico Eagle's Meadowbank site near Baker Lake, Nunavut. The company says 30,000-litres of fuel at its Meliadine project near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, spilled Saturday. (Canadian Press)

A fuel hose has leaked 30,000 litres of diesel fuel at a gold mine in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut.

In a statement, ​Agnico Eagle, which owns the mine, said the spill happened Saturday at the fuel-storage facility of its Meliadine project, near Rankin Inlet.

The hose was connected to a 100,000-litre diesel storage tank. The company says it doesn't yet know why the leak occurred, but emergency measures contained the spill to the immediate area.  

Agnico Eagle says cleanup crews are working at the site and affected material is being contained. There isn't evidence of the diesel reaching any surface water, it says. 

The company says it's notified the federal and territorial authorities, as well as the Kivalliq Inuit Association.