JOHANNESBURG (Bloomberg) — Bermuda-based Aquarius Platinum Ltd., the miner of metal in South Africa and Zimbabwe, said it may cut 200 jobs next month at its Everest mine in South Africa after prices plunged and pushed the company to its first quarterly loss.

Everest, which employs 2,550, is under review because of "the current metals price environment and inflationary pressures", Aquarius said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. The company has already suspended production at a shaft at its Marikana mine.

More than 10,000 mineworkers in South Africa, the world's biggest precious metals producer, may lose their jobs after metals prices fell, labour union Solidarity said on Monday. Lonmin Plc said it may fire more than 6,000 people after platinum plunged 47 percent to $811 in London this year.

"Everything is reviewed on a continual basis," Charmane Russell, a spokeswoman for Aquarius said by phone from Johannesburg yesterday when asked if Aquarius is reviewing other mines. Aquarius posted a $21.5 million loss in the three months to Sept. 30.

The stock fell 2.25 pence, or 1.8 percent, to 125.75 pence as of 3:23 p.m. in London trading, valuing the company at 409 million pounds ($614 million).