GLNCY Glencore Plc (PK)

By Scott Patterson 

A truck owned by a contractor for a Glencore PLC mining company in the Democratic Republic of Congo crashed and spilled sulfuric acid on two vehicles, killing about 20 people.

The incident took place on Feb. 20, according to the Glencore copper company, Mutanda Mining Sarl, which employed the contractor. Mutanda said in a statement that it will work with "relevant government agencies, including the emergency services, to provide support to [the victims] and to the local communities."

Sulfuric acid is commonly used by mining companies in the process of refining copper ore.

The accident highlights the dangers mining operations can pose to communities around them and comes just weeks after a dam operated by iron-ore giant Vale SA collapsed in Brazil. The collapse killed 171 people, the deadliest mining disaster in more than 50 years. Another 139 people are missing and presumed dead. In 2015, a dam failure by a Vale joint venture killed 19 people.

In 2016, a landslide at another copper mine majority-owned by Glencore in Congo killed seven workers.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Mutanda plans to cut about 2,000 workers, mostly contractors, from its workforce. Glencore said Mutanda will produce about 100,000 metric tons of copper this year, down from 199,000 in 2018, and 25,000 tons of cobalt.

Write to Scott Patterson at scott.patterson@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 22, 2019 13:30 ET (18:30 GMT)

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