Freeport confirms new casualties

Freeport confirms new casualties

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

American mining giant Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. has
confirmed that two workers were killed on Saturday by deadly
fumes at the Grasberg mine in Papua, which is owned by its
subsidiary PT Freeport Indonesia (FI).

The New Orleans-based firm said in a statement released on
Wednesday (Thursday in Indonesia) that the two workers were
asphyxiated in an underground tunnel conveying ore from the
Grasberg mine to mill facilities.

The incident occurred when ore from the Grasberg surface mine
containing previously unencountered concentrations of elemental
sulphur released fumes in the tunnel.

A number of other workers reported symptoms, but, the firm
said, none of them were seriously injured and all had been
released from hospital.

Operations were temporarily halted following the incident.
But, it said, these had been resumed after completion of an
investigation by FI and inspectors from the Ministry of Energy
and Mineral Resources.

It said the firm had taken "appropriate preventive actions
designed to ensure similar events do not occur in the future."

This is the second fatal accident to occur in the mine in less
than two months.

On Oct. 9, a landslide killed eight people at the mine, which
raised concerns among environmentalists who often blame the firm
for failing to protect the environment. The incident forced FI to
temporarily suspend its operations.

The firm said FI had completed recovery efforts related to the
Oct. 9 incident.

"All material involved in the affected mining areas has been
removed. FI has submitted documentation to the Ministry of Energy
and Mineral Resources and plans to resume normal operations on
receipt of governmental approval, which is expected imminently,"
it said.

It said FI is on track to achieve its previously reported
estimated 2003 adjusted annual sales of 1.33 billion pounds of
copper and 2.45 million ounces of gold.