12 Jun 2013

Mine in Indonesia's Papua province still partly closed

1:36 pm on 12 June 2013

The owners of the Grasberg mine in Indonesia's Papua province say safety and health standards are still to be met in some areas.

Freeport McMoRan, which runs the world's biggest gold mine and second-biggest copper mine, says its underground operation is safe overall, but some facilities are still closed for inspection and repair.

The General Manager, Nurhadi Sabirin, says the company is determined to avoid accidents after last month's tunnel collapse killed 28 workers, and the death of a truck driver in a separate incident two weeks later.

The company says the mining business is a dangerous activity and its safety programmes are designed to reduce incidents and avoid fatalities.

The Indonesian government ordered the company to halt operations when it restarted them two weeks after the tunnel disaster.