LIMA, Aug. 27 (Reuters) – A bus in the Peruvian Andes carrying workers hired at MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas copper mine (1208.HK) crashed into a cliff on Friday, the company said. killed 16 people and injured two.
The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning while the vehicle was navigating the shift shifts in the province of Cotabambas, in the region of Apurimac, Peru, where the mine is located, the company said in a statement.
Workers at contract companies Manpower, Geotec, MB Renting, AKD Drilling, Lavalin, M&RC, JRM and JP Natlian were involved in the crash, MMG said.
The company said authorities were investigating the cause of the accident and expressed their willingness to cooperate.
The extensive Las Bambas mine, one of the largest in Peru, is located between the province of Cotabambas and a neighboring one. Peru is the world’s second largest producer of copper.
Accidents in which buses sink on cliffs are not uncommon in Peru. The Andes range runs the entire length of the country, with harrowing roads leading to high cliffs.
The local Peruvian radio station RPP previously reported that the bus fell about 200 meters (656 feet).
Report by Marcelo Rochabrun and Marco Aquino; Editing by Sandra Maler and Michael Perry
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