Dark day for Sunshine

COEUR d'ALENE - Denver-based Sunshine Silver Mines Corp. released the name of the man who died in a mining accident Monday afternoon.

Nick Rounds, 36, was doing shaft repair work with his partner (who was not named) in the Jewel shaft of the Sunshine Mine on Monday. Around 2 p.m., an accident caused his death, according to Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Louviere said Rounds and his partner were standing on top of a skip, similar to the car of an elevator, in the mine's main shaft when the accident occurred.

"They were getting ready to move the skip. However, the skip moved before (Rounds) was clear, and he became caught between the skip and the shaft," Louviere said in a press release. "(Rounds) died, the other miner was not injured."

MSHA is on site and will conduct a full investigation. Louviere said the investigation will include talking with witnesses, checking equipment and machinery and gathering evidence. A full report could be available in three to six months.

Monica Brisnehan, a spokeswoman for Sunshine, issued the press release Tuesday naming the miner.

"Sunshine Silver Mines Corporation regrets to report that a tragic incident occurred at the Sunshine Mine in Idaho on the afternoon of June 2, 2014, resulting in fatal injuries to a valued and experienced member of our team, Nick Rounds," Brisnehan said in the release. "The company has notified his family and is conducting an investigation in conjunction with the Mine Safety and Health Administration and local authorities to determine the cause of this tragic accident. Work activities at the mine have been suspended pending the investigation."

The Sunshine Mine last produced in 2008 and is currently in care and maintenance mode, but it is in the process of reopening for commercial silver production.

Brisnehan said as of May 31, the Sunshine Mine employed 29 people. She said the mine, which was flooded to preserve infrastructure, has been pumped down to approximately the 3,700-foot level, which is the main station on the Jewel shaft.