Bloomberg reported that Peruvian police cleared roadblocks in the central Andes after protests by Doe Run Peru smelter workers turned deadly.

Mr Roiberto Guzman Union spokesman said that police battled the shuttered zinc and lead unit’s 3,700 workers to reopen the Central Andean Highway which links key mining and farming regions to Lima. The smelter has been closed since June.

Official said that some 1,200 police were deployed with 1 killed and another wounded recently. Mr Javier Velasquez chief of cabinet said that the protests are aimed to pressure the government to help the company reopen the smelter.

Mr Fernando Gala deputy mining minister of Peru said that we hope the workers understand the government is working on this issue. The executive has sent an urgent bill of law to Congress and we trust it will be passed as quickly as possible. He said that congress may vote this week on a plan to grant Doe Run Peru an extension of an environmental clean up deadline that will give the company access to financing.

Mr Jose Mogrovejo VP of Doe Run said that Doe Run is holding talks with creditors and aims to restart its smelter before the end of the year.

He said that “There’s a great deal of tension here. We’ve tried to appeal for calm among the workers but it’s gotten out of our hands.”

(Sourced from Bloomberg)