A Glencore copper operation in Peru has been targeted by vandals amid a rash of protests in the southern Andes, according to reports.
Reuters said on 12 January that political protestors attacked the Antapaccay copper mine that day, citing a statement from a top mining official. The country is currently in the throes of its worst civil unrest in several years.
Two Antapaccay company vehicles were burned in the midday attack and the area around the workers’ housing was also hit, the mine told the news service. Antapaccay is one of the county’s largest mines, and went through protests last year as it commenced a consultation process to evaluate an expansion project.
The San Rafael tin mine in the southern Puno region, owned by Minsur, was also attacked, with about 2,000 workers evacuated from the site as a result. Operations there have been halted, Reuters added.
San Rafael is one of the largest tin mines globally.
Source: Reuters (Glencore copper mine in Peru struck by vandals, cars torched | Reuters)