LIMA (Reuters) – Peru said on Friday a group of indigenous communities had lifted a protest against Southern Copper Corp’s Cuajone copper mine that had forced a suspension of production for more than 50 days.
The government had declared a state of emergency in the region earlier in the week, sending soldiers to lift a protest organized by a group of indigenous communities.
In a statement later on Friday, Southern Copper Corps said it has discovered damages to the mine’s installations, including to a concrete spillway, water valves as well as the firm’s rail line.
Southern Copper said local officials and police helped document the damages, which it said were caused by residents of four nearby communities.
A spokesperson for the indigenous communities could be immediately reached for comment.
The company added that it expects to restart Cuajone’s operations as soon as the rail line is fixed, but did provide any timeline.
The 52-day mine stoppage caused a loss of more than $260 million in exports as well as $400 million in lost tax revenue, the company added.
(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun and Carolina Pulice; Editing by David Alire Garcia & Shri Navaratnam)
