LOS ANGELES, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Pilbara Minerals Ltd PLS.AX should resume operations at its Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum project in Western Australia "within hours" after it was closed following the death of an employee last weekend, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
An altercation amongst contractors on the remote site led to the death and temporarily shut down operations, CEO Ken Brinsden told an electric vehicle supply chain conference in Los Angeles.
According to local media reports https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/pilbara-mining-supervisor-faces-court-accused-of-murdering-colleague-on-site-20191113-p53a71.html, a mining supervisor was found on Monday morning with the body of a fellow miner wrapped in canvas. The supervisor allegedly had carried the body through an underground tunnel and was trying to leave with it, but was stopped by other mine workers.
Trading was halted for several days in Pilbara's Sydney-listed shares. The company has been cooperating fully with police, Brinsden said.
"The last thing you expect to deal with is a murder investigation," Brinsden told the conference. "Our team handled this as well as you could possibly expect."
The company is a supplier of lithium for use in electric vehicle batteries.