Four missing in Freeport accident

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Four people were reported missing after the collapse of a large pile of waste belonging to giant mining company PT Freeport Indonesia at the Grasberg mine in Tembagapura, Mimika regency collapsed on Thursday.

Blaming four days of rainfall, which reached an average of 40 millimeters a day recently, PT Freeport Indonesia president director Adrie Machribie said the four missing people were employees of PT Petrosea and PT Graha Buana Jaya, contractors to PT Freeport Indonesia.

"We regret the incident and every effort is being made to locate the four and to inform and console their families," he said. He failed to identify the four.

PT Freeport Indonesia head office in Jakarta issued a media release on Friday saying that the incident, which took place at 9:50 p.m. local time Thursday, was caused by the slippage of overburden waste, which caused a wave of water and material to overtop the Wanagon basin spillway and enter Wanagon valley.

The flood also hit Banti village, some 12 kilometers downstream of the Wanagon basin. "No injuries were reported at Banti," Machribie said.

The incident came as Freeport was under fire for allegedly failing to minimize the environmental impact of its mining activities.

Freeport Indonesia is 81.28 percent owned by U.S. mining company Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold with the Indonesia government and PT Indocopper Investama Corporation holding each a 9.36 percent stake in the company. (eba/sur)