Cumberland Resources - Meliadine West Project Extensive Gold Mineralization Outlined.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 1996-- CUMBERLAND RESOURCES (TSE: CBD) Cumberland Resources Ltd. is very pleased to announce initial results reported by WMC International Ltd. ("WMC") of a significant new zone of gold mineralization on the Meliadine West Project.

The Meliadine Project, favourably located 15 kilometres north of Rankin Inlet, N.W.T. is held 50-50 percent by Cumberland and Comaplex Minerals Corp. The western half of the property is currently under option to WMC. WMC has the right to acquire up to a 60 percent interest in the Meliadine west Property by spending $12.5 million in exploration expenditures.

Thereafter, WMC will provide non-recourse loans to Cumberland and Comaplex for all future exploration and development expenditures with repayment only from production cash flow. At production Cumberland and Comaplex will each retain 20 percent interest in the property.

In 1995, systematic drilling by WMC on the Tiriruniak Zone outlined an extensive gold bearing shear zone over a 2.5 kilometer length.

Recent 1996 drilling on the structure has outlined a 500 meter long portion called the Tiriruniak Central Zone, that hosts high grade gold mineralization over significant widths.

Eight widely spaced holes (100 m apart) have outlined the new gold bearing zone over a surface length of 500 m and to vertical depths of 250 m. Two distinct gold bearing intersections are common in each hole. For example, DDH 96-39 intersected an upper zone grading 21.91 grams gold per ton over 5.59 meters and a lower zone grading 8.50 grams gold per tonne over 8.20 meters. The zone remains open to expansion along strike and at depth. Details of drilling in the Tiriruniak Central Zone are provided below.

TIRIRUNIAK CENTRAL ZONE

HOLE       LOCATION (UTM)  WIDTH (M)  GRADE (G/T)   OPT/FT.

(x) 95-01    9621    8152    7.23        8.65      0.25/23.7
      and                    3.18       11.16      0.33/10.4

(x) 95-27    9400    8210    5.48        6.53      0.19/18.0
      and                    2.78       12.23      0.36/ 9.1

(x) 95-17    9530    8194    3.14        8.96      0.26/10.3

(x) 95-28    9620    8221    1.04        8.39      0.24/ 3.4
      and                    1.26       56.73      1.65/ 4.1

(x) 95-16    9751    8202    5.05        9.05      0.26/16.6

    96-37    9750    8310    4.35       19.87      0.58/14.3
      and                    7.00       10.57      0.31/23.0

    96-39    9650    8310    5.59       21.91      0.64/18.3
      and                    8.20        8.50      0.25/26.9

    96-41    9650    8310    5.39        9.61      0.28/17.7

(x) previously released

WMC has also reported significant intersections from the F-Zone which is located 3.5 kilometres east of the Central Zone. In 1994, a shallow resource of 200,000 tonnes grading 9.25 grams per tonne (220,000 tons grading 0.27 opt) was outlined at the F-Zone. Recent deep drilling by WMC has intersected encouraging gold values up to 200m below the previously outlined resource. For example, DDH 96-22 returned 11.89 grams gold per tonne over 3.15 metres and 10.61 grams gold per tonne over 3.5 metres, and Drillhole DDH 96-26 yielded 10.28 grams gold per tonne over 2.05 meters and 9.34 grams per tonne over 2.0 meters. Further drilling is currently underway on the F-Zone.

Cumberland is extremely pleased with these results reported by WMC. The 1996 drilling has been very widely spaced, however, initial indications are that the mineralized structure at Tiriruniak Central is persistent from hole to hole and continuity of the gold mineralization appears to have been established. Additional assays are pending from both the F2 and Tiriruniak Central Zones. To date, WMC has completed approximately 9,600 m of the proposed 16,000 m program for 1996.

Cumberland Resources is a Canadian mineral company with two emerging gold projects, Meadowbank (60 percent) and Meliadine (50 percent) located in the Northwest Territories. Cumberland is also actively exploring for base-metals in Portugal, N.W.T. and in Northwestern Ontario. Extensive exploration drilling programs are currently underway on most of these projects.

CUMBERLAND RESOURCES LTD. Per: Kerry Curtis, B.Sc., P.Geo. Vice-President, Corporate Development -0-

NOTE: Location map available from the Company at the phone number listed below.

CONTACT: Cumberland Resources Ltd.

Mr. Glen Dickson, 604/244-7112, 604/244-3996 (Fax)

or

Cumberland Resources Ltd.

Mr. Kerry Curtis, 604/244-7112, 604/244-3996 (Fax)