Freeport halts Grasberg mining operations after underground incident

reeport-McMoRan said on Tuesday it temporarily halted mining in Indonesia's Grasberg minerals district after a large flow of wet material blocked access to parts of its underground mine, restricting evacuation routes for seven workers. The incident occurred late on Monday at one of five production blocks in the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine in Central Papua, the company said. The location of the seven workers is known and they are believed to be safe, Freeport said, adding that rescue crews are working to clear the area for a safe and swift evacuation.

Freeport operates Grasberg, one of the world's largest gold and copper mines, and had been building a smelter in Indonesia.

The smelter was damaged by a fire last year and was shut down.