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Lucapa recovers first diamonds from Mothae

ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company has reported the first diamond recoveries from its 70 per cent owned Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho, Africa.

The diamonds were recovered through the existing bulk sampling plant and infrastructure at Mothae, which has been refurbished ahead of schedule, as part of a previously announced bulk sampling program (BSP).

According to Lucapa, the initial diamond recoveries — sourced from residual material and kimberlite stockpiles that are not included in the Mothae JORC resource — were observed during a site visit to Mothae last week.

“The largest of the diamonds recovered in the first test run was 6.6 carats,” Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall said.

The BSP is designed to provide additional resource and diamond data to expand the life of mine, while also generating early cash flow, Lucapa reported.

Construction of the new 150 tonne per hour processing plant, including an XRT large-diamond recovery circuit, remains on schedule for full commissioning and commercial production in the second half of 2018.

The Mothae operation is 30 per cent owned by the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

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