Papua New Guinea gold miner, Barrick Gold, says it is continuing to operate its Porgera gold mine in Enga Province after two illegal miners were killed there in a confrontation with police.
The company says in a statement that the confrontation took place after a large crowd of illegal miners had gathered at the mine.
Australian media reports the deputy commissioner of police operations, Simon Kauba, saying the trouble began after a mobile police squad was deployed to the mine to investigate the deaths of two other miners who had fallen into a pit.
The company says it is unclear how the miners were killed, but says none of its own security workers were involved in the confrontation.
