"Omai suit dismissed", 1 December 2006.

Guyana Supreme Court has ordered that a $2B class action lawsuit filed against Omai Gold Mines in connection with a 1995 tailings dam accident be dismissed and costs awarded to the defendants...The Essequibo river serves as the primary source of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, livestock and agriculture for local residents. After the spill, a ban was placed on the sale and consumption of all fish from the river, along with a ban on bathing, drinking, cooking and other domestic uses. A preliminary report by the Pan American Health Organization, however, estimated that only between 100 and 200 people actually suffered exposure to environmental health risks from the spill. Although environmental NGOs originally claimed more than 11,000 fish and a number of hogs were poisoned in the spill, it was actually determined that only 351 dead fish were found in the Omai river. No dead fish were found in the Essequibo river into which the Omai flows...The spill generated international headlines, and is still cited by environmentalists as an example of an alleged environmental disaster resulting from the use of cyanide in mining processes, and the disposal of heavy metals in mine tailings. The Omai mine was shut down in the third quarter of 2005 after 13 years of operation due to the depletion of mineral reserves.