Toronto-based Centerra Gold Inc.'s shares plummeted Thursday after political unrest in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz men stand on a burned out car in Bishkek on Thursday after violent protests Tuesday and Wednesday. An opposition coalition says it has formed an interim government that will rule the country for six months. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press Photo)

Centerra operates its key mine 430 kilometres southeast of the capital Bishkek.

Centerra's stock tumbled more than 15 per cent in early trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, losing $1.82 to $10.17 after falling 11.5 per cent in Wednesday trading. Its shares rebounded later in the session but still closed 64 cents lower at $11.35.

But the shares regained some of their losses after the company issued a release saying operations at its Kumtor mine "continue uninterrupted and are currently unaffected by the unrest in the country."

The release said Centerra is monitoring the situation to ensure that conditions remain safe to continue to transport people and supplies to the mine.

An opposition coalition proclaimed a new interim government after violent clashes in the country Wednesday left dozens dead. It has urged the president, who has fled the capital, to resign.

Centerra is more than 30 per cent owned by the Kyrgyz government.

Thousands of protesters have clashed with security forces throughout the country over the last two days, driving out local governments and seizing government headquarters in Bishkek.

Riot police shot into crowds of protesters on Wednesday and hospitals were overwhelmed with the dead and wounded.

Centerra said earlier this year it expected to begin high-grade underground production from the Kumtor mine by late 2011.

With files from The Canadian Press