Four missing in Freeport accident<\/p>\n
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Four people were reported missing
\nafter the collapse of a large pile of waste belonging to giant
\nmining company PT Freeport Indonesia at the Grasberg mine in
\nTembagapura, Mimika regency collapsed on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Blaming four days of rainfall, which reached an average of 40
\nmillimeters a day recently, PT Freeport Indonesia president
\ndirector Adrie Machribie said the four missing people were
\nemployees of PT Petrosea and PT Graha Buana Jaya, contractors to
\nPT Freeport Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We regret the incident and every effort is being made to
\nlocate the four and to inform and console their families,\" he
\nsaid. He failed to identify the four.<\/p>\n
PT Freeport Indonesia head office in Jakarta issued a media
\nrelease on Friday saying that the incident, which took place at
\n9:50 p.m. local time Thursday, was caused by the slippage of
\noverburden waste, which caused a wave of water and material to
\novertop the Wanagon basin spillway and enter Wanagon valley.<\/p>\n
The flood also hit Banti village, some 12 kilometers
\ndownstream of the Wanagon basin. \"No injuries were reported at
\nBanti,\" Machribie said.<\/p>\n
The incident came as Freeport was under fire for allegedly
\nfailing to minimize the environmental impact of its mining
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Freeport Indonesia is 81.28 percent owned by U.S. mining
\ncompany Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold with the Indonesia
\ngovernment and PT Indocopper Investama Corporation holding each a
\n9.36 percent stake in the company. (eba\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/four-missing-in-freeport-accident-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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