Search and rescue operations are on and the company has temporarily stopped open pit mining operations at Kumtor, it said.

The miner said it carried out an emergency evacuation after the movement at the Lysii Waste Rock Dump early Sunday morning, but the two employees did not appear at the gathering area.

Centerra said it would continue to process ore stockpiled on the surface and reiterated its production outlook for 2019.

The Kyrgyz government said on Saturday the mine will produce 18.2 tonnes of gold this year, beating its own forecast of 16.6-17.6 tonnes.

(Reporting by Akshay Balan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)