VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Oct. 20, 2009 (Marketwire) --

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/20/09 -- Imperial Metals Corporation (TSX: III) reports initial results from the 2009 exploration program at the Red Chris copper/gold property in northwest British Columbia. In the program, eight 1,500 metre diamond drill holes were planned to test the deep mineralization discovered in 2007 in the East zone. To date, four of the five holes completed have achieved a final depth of over 1,300 metres. Results have been received from three holes, one of which was terminated early due to drilling difficulty. Long intercepts of copper/gold mineralization are reported for the two holes that reached target depth as Imperial continues to build the known extent of deep mineralization in East zone.

RC09-346 was an angle hole drilled from north to south (azimuth 156 degrees) located about 270 metres north of RC07-335 which as previously reported returned 1,024.1 metres grading 1.01% copper, 1.26 g/t gold and 3.92 g/t silver. The hole passed into the higher grade mineralization directly beneath the current open pit design. This hole intersected 513.6 metres grading 0.61% copper and 0.91 g/t gold starting at a depth of 530.0 metres, including higher grade intervals of 0.92% copper and 1.53 g/t gold over 191.1 metres at 615.0 metres, and 1.01 % copper and 1.80 g/t gold over 48.6 metres starting at 995.0 metres.

Vertical drill hole RC09-345 was located 110 metres north of the collar of RC07-335. RC09-345 intersected 526.5 metres grading 0.77% copper and 1.37 g/t gold starting at a depth of 426.1 metres. Selected intervals in that hole returned values with strong gold grades and gold to copper ratios, including 43.9 metres grading 2.22% copper and 3.22 g/t gold at 475.0 metres, and 116.2 metres grading 1.06% copper and 3.11 g/t gold starting at 833.8 metres.