"Multiple Dams Fail at Indonesian Nickel-Mining Facilities", 28 March 2025

Three people are feared dead and hundreds more are at risk of negative health impacts after multiple tailings dams, which store toxic mine waste, collapsed inside an industrial park in Indonesia.

According to media and worker testimony, on March 16, the PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt tailings storage facility was breached, and liquified tailings flowed into the Bahadopi River. The breach flooded facilities at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) and the village of Labota with a wave of red water, putting the health of workers and 341 families at risk through exposure to heavy metals.

On March 21, another tailings facility inside IMIP, owned by PT Qing Mei Bang (QMB) New Energy Materials, collapsed, killing three workers.
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The PT QMB facility reportedly experienced an additional incident this week that put the safety of workers at risk. On  March 27, videos shared by workers showed a landslide at the PT QMB ore stockpile inside IMIP.

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The Independent Land Foundation (Yayasan Tanah Merdeka – YTM), based in Central Sulawesi, released a press statement calling the failings storage at IMIP “very risky and dangerous in areas with high rainfall rates such as Morowali.” YTM highlights the high rates of deforestation due to nickel mining as a compounding factor. 

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