Quake halts Peru's Cerro Lindo, other mines fine

LIMA (Reuters) - Operations were halted at Peru's Cerro Lindo copper, zinc and lead mine due to a power cut after a strong earthquake hit Peru on Wednesday, a spokesman for mine owner Milpo told Reuters.

But Shougang Hierro Peru, a Chinese-owned iron-ore miner, and Buenaventura, Peru's biggest precious metals miner, said their operations were unaffected by the massive quake, which killed more than 300 people and destroyed a large number of homes.

"Operations at the Cerro Lindo mine are paralyzed because the road is blocked and the electric power is cut," Juan Alberto Flores, chief of communications for Milpo, told Reuters by telephone Thursday morning.

Flores said no workers at the mine were injured or trapped during the quake, and the mine's installations suffered no damages.

Milpo's Cerro Lindo mine is Peru's fourth largest producer of zinc and lead.

Shougang said production at its mine has not been affected by the earthquake that struck the country, although it did experience a temporary power outage.

The mine normally produces 20,000 tonnes of mineral a day.

Buenaventura, which operates three mines in Peru, said none of its operations were affected in any way. Buenaventura holds 43.65 percent of Latin America's biggest gold mine, Yanacocha, in which U.S.-based Nemont Mining Corp. has a majority stake.

Peru is the world's third largest producer of copper and zinc, and mining accounts for over one half of its exports.