26 Dec 2014

Incident at Koniambo nickel smelter

3:46 pm on 26 December 2014

All staff at the Koniambo nickel smelter in New Caledonia's north have been evacuated after a spill at one of the furnaces.

New Caledonian radio says nobody was injured in the incident.

Firefighters have been at the scene.

Koniambo plant in New Caledonia.

Koniambo plant in New Caledonia. Photo: Supplied

This comes just four days after a blast at the site prompted a brief interruption to operations.

The Koniambo plant was officially opened by the French president, Francois Hollande, last month although it started nickel production last year.