Four missing in Freeport accident

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)