It's raining gold in Russia

It was raining gold in Siberia this week after a Russian cargo plane's doors flew open during take off flinging around 200 gold  bars across the runway.

The Antonov An-12, carrying an estimated $378 million worth of gold, diamonds and platimum, had stopped at Yakutsk Airport in Siberia to refuel en route to Krasnoyarskbut as it rose again into the sky, the doors reportedly buckled under the weight and the precious cargo was sprayed into the atmosphere.

The gold bars, weighing more than three tons, were spilled onto the runway which was hastily closed by the police to stop the local looters. who were quickly alerted via social media. 

The cargo was being transported on behalf of a private mining company and  had come the Kupol gold mine in the remote region of Chukotka, which is operated by Canada-based mining company Kinross Gold.

    Around 3 tons of gold was spilled on to the runway from the back of the Antonov AN-12

"As it gathered height, the cargo door became damaged due to the shifting of cargo”  Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram. 

“One hundred and seventy two bars have been found weighing around 3.4 tonnes,” the local interior ministry told TASS state news agency.

“Only part of the gold fell out – altogether there were around nine tonnes in there.”

Russian gold mine production has been steadily growing over the past six years with Russia now occupying third place in the global league table, behind China and Australia, with a share of roughly 8% of world gold mine production. 

According to Saida Litosh, precious metals manager from the GFMS at Thomson Reuters, Russia added 15.8 tonnes of gold last year, representing a 6% year-on-year increase, lifting its total mine production to an all-time high of 269.4 tonnes due mainly to privatisation of state-owned gold mining companies as well as consolidation of smaller gold producers.

It is unclear whether all 3.4 tonnes strewn across the runway in Siberia was recovered while a group of maintenance engineers were reportedly being detained.