UPDATE 1-Major silver miner in Mexico gets three month reprieve from lenders

(Recasts with creditor reprieve, adds details)

MEXICO CITY, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Creditors to Fortuna Silver Mines will give the Canadian miner three months to obtain additional legal permission to keep operating in Mexico after the denial this month of a key environmental permit, the company said on Friday.

Over the past decade Fortuna has operated one of Mexico's top silver mines, but it faces possible closure due to the regulatory denial.

The company said in a statement its lenders have agreed to waive the requirement that the company secure "a permanent injunction or equivalent protection" for three months until Feb. 18, 2022.

The creditors previously required the permanent injection by the end of this week.

While Fortuna's San Jose mine has been in operation since 2011, its main environmental authorization expired late last month, despite company efforts since May to petition the environment ministry to approve a 10-year extension.

A court order allows the mine to keep running, but only on a temporary basis.

Earlier this month, Fortuna disclosed that the ministry had denied the requested extension, citing what it described as "a pending evaluation... related to the regularization of ancillary infrastructure at the mine site."

The company added that it will submit its appeal to the denial in Mexican courts by the end of November, arguing that it is in compliance with all applicable environmental laws.

Last year, San Jose was Mexico's seventh-biggest silver producer, responsible for 6.2 million ounces, and Fortuna has invested some $350 million at the underground mine in the southern state of Oaxaca. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia Editing by Marguerita Choy)