Drummond Co extended a shutdown at two coal mines in Colombia into a third day after an accident caused the death of a worker.

Mr Raul Sosa president of the Sintramienergetica union that represents mine workers said that Drummond, based in Birmingham, Alabama, closed its El Descanso and Pribbenow mines in northern Colombia after the November 6 incident.

The mines last year exported 24 million tonnes of thermal coal to power utilities abroad, almost one third of output in Colombia, South America’s largest supplier of the fuel. Drummond is investing to expand production to 25 million tonnes a year at El Descanso, from 3 million tonnes at present.

Colombian coal exports jumped 37% in September to 7.2 million tonnes, reversing declines in earlier months when rainstorms affected mines. The nation produced 74.4 million tonnes of the fuel in 2010.

(Sourced from Bloomberg)