Rio’s Abandoned Panguna Copper Mine Still a Threat, Report Says
- Bougainville river contaminated, dam could collapse: findings
- Human rights group calls for miner to commit to remediation
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Rio Tinto Group contributed to widespread damage due to waste left at an abandoned copper mine in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and risks to local communities are ongoing, a report has found.
Panguna, which was operated by Rio subsidiary Bougainville Copper, was once one of the world’s largest copper mines. It was shut in 1989 after local protests over the disbursement of revenue from the mine degenerated into a civil war that killed as many as 20,000 people. The project has remained abandoned and Rio has struggled to obtain access to the site for remedial purposes.