Nicola Mining (NIM.V) on Wednesday said an independent underground inspection and factual assessment of its Treasure Mountain Silver Mine in British Columbia revealed that both Portals 1 and 2 remain accessible and generally intact, with minimal evidence of sloughing or burial.
The inspection conducted by McElhanney, found Treasure Mountain is in "generally better condition than anticipated" following about 13 years of inactivity, expediting the timing of potentially restarting mining. There were no flooded workings or major inaccessible collapse zones within the inspected areas, and atmospheric conditions remained acceptable throughout the inspection, it said.
Findings also revealed that extensive existing underground development remains accessible, and most existing ground-support installations appeared functional. Nicola Mining expects the next phase to include a detailed geotechnical and rehabilitation assessment, followed by surveying and mapping of the underground workings.
"Our objective is to proceed methodically-first establishing safe access and an accurate understanding of the existing workings and then recommence mining activities on Level 1 and Level 2, prior to conduction exploration," said chief executive Peter Espig.
Shares of the company were last seen unchanged at CA$0.77 on the TSX Venture Exchange.