10 Dec 2008

Relatives of people killed in landslide in PNG want compensation from mining company

11:18 am on 10 December 2008

Relatives of 10 people killed in a landslide at a remote goldmine camp in Papua New Guinea want over 390 thousand US dollars in compensation from the mining company.

Extreme rainfall was thought to have triggered last week's landslide that killed five mine exploration workers in their rooms at Barrick Gold Corporation's Kainantu mine in PNG's Eastern Highlands province.

Five local villagers who were travelling through the area from a nearby food garden were also killed.

A spokesman for the relatives of the deceased, Busa Sio, says the families wanted over 32 thousand US for each of the 10 Papua New Guineans killed in the landslide.

The dead included three children.

He told the PNG's The National newspaper says they went straight to the company and asked to be paid the compensation.

Barrick Gold is the world's biggest gold miner, with its headquarters in Canada and operations on five continents.