World’s largest gold mine collapses again
The world’s largest gold mine has suffered another collapse just two days after restarting operations when a new tunnel at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine, located in Western Papua, caved in on May 31, reportedly killing one worker.
Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the complex, that also exploits the world’s second largest copper deposits, are refusing to return to the mine until government-led investigations are completed for the last collapse, which occurred on May 15, killing 28 workers.
US-miner Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, the owner of the mine, said in a statement that underground mining has not resumed due to maintenance work, but open-pit mining and milling operations have once again commenced.
Virgo Solossa, a union official, told Reuters that employees are likely also a part of the investigation, which could take as long as two months to complete.
The Grasberg mine has a long and controversial history, with large strikes last held in 2011 that crippled production, estimated at 220,000 tonnes of concentrated ore per day.
“This latest accident shows how arrogant the Freeport management is after they have forced themselves and the workers to go back to work and re-start production activity,” Solossa said.
“That’s why the union calls all workers to stop working at all Freeport mining area.”
The union represents about 18,000 of the mine’s 24,000 workers.
The world’s largest gold mine has suffered another collapse just two days after restarting operations when a new tunnel at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine, located in Western Papua, caved in on May 31, reportedly killing one worker. Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the complex, that also exploits the world’s second largest copper deposits, are refusing to return to the mine until government-led investigations are completed for the last collapse, which occurred on May 15, killing 28 workers. US-miner Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, the owner of the mine, said in a statement that underground mining has not resumed due to maintenance...
The world’s largest gold mine has suffered another collapse just two days after restarting operations when a new tunnel at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine, located in Western Papua, caved in on May 31, reportedly killing one worker.
Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the complex, that also exploits the world’s second largest copper deposits, are refusing to return to the mine until government-led investigations are completed for the last collapse, which occurred on May 15, killing 28 workers.
US-miner Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, the owner of the mine, said in a statement that underground mining has not resumed due to maintenance work, but open-pit mining and milling operations have once again commenced.
Virgo Solossa, a union official, told Reuters that employees are likely also a part of the investigation, which could take as long as two months to complete.
The Grasberg mine has a long and controversial history, with large strikes last held in 2011 that crippled production, estimated at 220,000 tonnes of concentrated ore per day.
“This latest accident shows how arrogant the Freeport management is after they have forced themselves and the workers to go back to work and re-start production activity,” Solossa said.
“That’s why the union calls all workers to stop working at all Freeport mining area.”
The union represents about 18,000 of the mine’s 24,000 workers.
