Deccan Gold Mines (BOM:512068) said its maiden drilling campaign confirmed the presence of nickel, copper and palladium mineralization across multiple sulphide-bearing zones at the Bhalukona project in Chhattisgarh, according to a company statement filed with Indian bourses.

The "first drill hole intersected three mineralized gabbroic layers with a combined width exceeding 60 meters", including nearly 30 meters of sulphide mineralization averaging about 0.4% nickel equivalent.

The highest-grade intersection included "2.6 meters grading 1.01% nickel, 0.29% copper and 0.2 [grams per ton] palladium from 103.4 meters depth", the company said.

The company has so far completed around 1,200 meters of drilling across seven drill holes over a mineralized strike zone of about 1.3 kilometers, the filing said.