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Lima — The company said a bus in the Peruvian Andes, which transports contract workers at MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas copper mine, plunged off a cliff on Friday, killing 16 people and injuring two.
The accident occurred early in the morning when a car turned with a hairpin in Cotabambas, in the Apurimac region of Peru, where the mine is located, the company said in a statement.
Workers from contractors Manpower, Geotec, MB Renting, AKD Drilling, Lavalin, M & RC, JRM and JP Natlian were involved in the crash, according to MMG.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and have expressed their willingness to cooperate, the company said.
Peru’s largest and most expansive Las Bambas mine lies between Cotabambas and neighboring states. Peru is the second largest copper producer in the world.
In Peru, buses rarely jump off cliffs. The Andes cross the length of the country and have dire roads overlooking high cliffs.
The local Peruvian radio station RPP previously reported that the bus had fallen about 200 meters (656 feet).
By Marcelo Rochabrun and Marco Aquino
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