Freeport?s open-pit mine suspended
Tuesday, September 30 2014 - 01:36 AM WIB
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has suspended activities at PT Freeport Indonesia?s Grasberg open-pit mine in Papua pending completion of an investigation into a deadly road accident at the mining area over the weekend which killed four workers.
Director of Technique and Environment at the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal at the ministry, Bambang Susigit said that four mine inspectors have been dispatched to the Freeport mining area to carry out the investigation.
He did not say how long the suspension would be, but Director General of Mineral and Coal R. Sukhyar was quoted as saying that the investigation was expected to be completed within a week. He acknowledged that the suspension would reduce the company?s output as the open-pit mine remains the largest contributor to production.
Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Daisy Primayanti has earlier confirmed the temporary closure of the company?s open-pit mine. ?Safety is the company?s priority and therefore the activities at the Grasberg open-pit mine will be halted for consolidation and an investigation," Daisy said in a recent statement.
The weekend road accident, in which a pick up vehicle carrying Freeport Indonesia?s workers collided with a large haul truck, killing four of eight passengers, is the second accident within a month in the company?s mining area following a landslide incident at its underground mine on September 12, killing one worker.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak