Operations halted at QMB Morowali after tailings landslide kills worker

Operations at PT QMB New Energy Materials in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) were temporarily halted after a tailings landslide buried heavy equipment and killed one worker, authorities and company officials said as quoted by media.

The incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. local time on Feb. 18 at the IMIP 9 waste dumping area in Morowali, Central Sulawesi. Initial assessments indicated ground movement triggered by soft soil conditions beneath the tailings pile.

The Palu Search and Rescue Office said one worker was found dead after being buried by the material and was later evacuated from the site. Rescue teams remained on standby to ensure no additional victims were trapped.

IMIP spokesperson Dedy Kurniawan confirmed the landslide and said the company’s quick response team immediately suspended activities in the affected area and evacuated workers to safe zones.

Authorities reported that at least seven units of heavy equipment were buried, including four excavators, one bulldozer, one hauling dump truck and one additional heavy unit.

Read also: QMB nickel production in Indonesia back to normal: GEM

Safety barricades have been installed around the site while an investigation is conducted by the provincial labour and occupational safety inspectorate to determine the cause of the incident and assess whether operations can resume.

The landslide has drawn scrutiny from civil society groups over occupational safety practices in the industrial complex. Data from the Tanah Merdeka Foundation showed 25 workplace accidents occurred in IMIP in 2025, resulting in nine fatalities.

The group also highlighted environmental risks linked to tailings from nickel processing, noting that production of one tonne of nickel can generate 150 to 200 tonnes of waste. QMB has an annual mixed hydroxide precipitate capacity of about 96,000 tonnes, potentially producing up to 19.2 million tonnes of tailings a year.

National Human Rights Commission in Central Sulawesi called for an independent investigation and broader safety improvements, citing high rainfall and geological risks in the Bahodopi area where the industrial park is located.

Editing by Alexander Ginting