Second Peruvian community blocks road used by MMG's Las Bambas mine -NGO, media

LIMA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Peruvian protesters on Friday blocked a key road used by MMG's (1208.HK) massive Las Bambas copper mine, the non-profit Observatory of Mining Conflicts and local media reported.

The blockade is the second such disruption targeting Chinese-owned Las Bambas at the moment, which has said it will suspend production by Feb. 20 if an earlier blockade by a different community, Ccapacmarca, is not lifted. Activity at the mine has already tumbled.

The 400-km (250-mile) road used by Las Bambas to transport its copper is a flashpoint of protests. Impoverished indigenous communities along the way have often blocked the route. They say the mine's trucks cause pollution and that they have not shared in the mine's wealth.

Peru's new Prime Minister Anibal Torres said on Friday that he would travel to Ccapacmarca on Saturday to try to broker a truce that would clear the road. But the new blockade means that lifting it would have little practical impact unless the new set of protesters from the district of Coporaque agree to do the same.

Reuters could not reach a Coporaque representative for comment. The Observatory of Mining Conflicts and local outlet Espinar Noticias said Coporaque residents have accused Las Bambas of failing to uphold earlier agreements.

A representative for Las Bambas declined to comment.

Peru is the world's No. 2 copper producer and mining is a key source of tax revenue. A blockade late last year forced Las Bambas to suspend production for several days, causing a major problem for the leftist government of President Pedro Castillo.

While the government brokered a truce to lift that blockade, the new blockades have been set up by two communities that were not part of those agreements.

Las Bambas began operations in 2016 and local residents have blocked its transport road for over 430 days since then. The last blockade started on Jan. 27.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.