Freeport?s workers seal off road in protest over fatal accident

Around 800 workers of copper and gold mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) sealed off on Wednesday a road, hampering mining activities, in protest over the fatal accident on Saturday which killed four workers.

The protest started early 2.15 am local time, Antara news agency reported Wednesday.

The road leads to the R/C mile 74 site of Grasberg mine. As a result, workers were unable to go the mining site.

FI?s security guards and management, assisted by the police and Anis Matkime, the the leader of the Amungme tribe which lives in the area, were seeking to persuade the workers to end the protest, saying the accident is being investigated.

An accident occurred on Saturday morning at around 7.24 am local time, involving two vehicles of the firm The light vehicle was carrying 9 workers including one driver, while in the haul truck there was only its driver. Four of them had been confirmed dead, while the rest had been taken to Tembagapura hospital for treatment.

The workers demanded a full investigation into the incident and held the company responsible for it.

The workers still refused to end the protest until 8 am local time, Antara reported (*)