Gila Herald Staff Reports
MORENCI — A tragic accident at Freeport-McMoRan’s Morenci mining operation has left one person dead following what company officials described as a “haul truck accident” early Monday morning.
Details regarding the victim’s identity and the exact nature of the incident have not yet been released to the public, as notifications and investigations continue.
In a statement released Monday, Freeport-McMoRan officials expressed their deep sorrow over the loss.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a Freeport-McMoRan employee was fatally injured this morning following a haul truck accident at our Morenci mine. Our thoughts and condolences are with the employee’s family, friends and coworkers during this difficult tim,” the company stated.
Local authorities responded to the incident, and the incident is under investigation. Federal and state agencies have been mobilized to determine the cause of the fatal event. Freeport officials confirmed that the incident remains under active investigation, with representatives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Arizona State Mine Inspector currently on-site.
The Morenci Mine is the largest copper mining complex in North America and one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. It produces hundreds of millions of pounds of copper annually, serving as a vital contributor to the global supply of copper needed for electronics, construction, and green energy technologies.
Prior to today’s tragic event, the last fatal accident at the Morenci mining operation occurred on Jan. 28, 2022.
That incident involved a contractor, Tri-County Materials Inc., rather than a direct employee of Freeport. A 56-year-old cement mixer truck driver, Monroe Caston Jr., was fatally injured, and a trainee was seriously injured when their truck lost braking control while descending the mine’s Northwest Ramp, causing it to overturn. A subsequent federal MSHA investigation attributed the crash to inadequate pre-operational equipment inspections and severe mechanical defects in the truck’s braking system.
The Gila Herald will update this story as more information becomes available.
