Ebola’s Spread in Sierra Leone Puts Diamond Mines at Risk

More blows to Sierra Leone economy

BLOOMBERG by Thomas Biesheuvel and Makiko Kitamura                                                             Dec. 12, 2014

As Ebola rages in Sierra Leone, the outbreak has claimed almost 2,000 lives and contributed to the collapse of the iron ore industry. Now the virus is hitting the diamond mines.

At the latest hotspot, in the gem-rich Kono district along the Guinea border, two workers at Octea Ltd.’s Koidu mine, Sierra Leone’s largest, were infected last week and are being treated. The outbreak may mean that production at the mine will miss its annual target -- measured in carats -- by as much as 20 percent, Chief Executive Officer Brett Richards said.

“Everyone thought this was under control and we were seeing the top of the curve,” Richards said in a phone interview yesterday. “It completely went out of control a couple of weeks ago. We may be uncovering a bit of an iceberg here.”

Read full story.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-11/ebola-s-spread-in-sierra-leone-puts-diamond-mines-at-risk.html