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ll activities in the open-pit Grasberg mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia have been halted for at least a week following a deadly accident over the weekend, according to an official.

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry director-general for minerals and coal R. Sukhyar said on Monday that an investigation into the accident was ongoing and that the temporary closure was necessary to facilitate its conclusion.

'€œA team has been sent and we have asked that open-pit activities be halted for a week,'€ he said.

The temporary closure is expected to decrease Freeport'€™s production, as the open-pit mine is the Freeport'€™s biggest contributor. However, Sukhyar expected the company would be able to offset the effects by extracting higher-content resources.

Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Daisy Primayanti could not be reached for comment on Monday regarding the impact of the closure on operations.

'€œSafety is the company'€™s priority and therefore the activities at the Grasberg open-pit mine will be halted for consolidation and an investigation,'€ Daisy said in a recent statement.

Last Saturday, Freeport reported a collision involving an operational vehicle and a large-size haul truck that was en route to the Grasberg open-pit mine.

The haul truck, whose wheels stand 2.2 meters tall, accidentaly crushed the operational vehicle, which was carrying nine people. Four persons, all of them were Freeport employees, were killed in the accident. Five others, including the driver, sustained injuries but survived.

Technical and environmental director at the mineral and coal office, Bambang Susigit, said a team of four people had been sent to investigate the cause of the accident.

'€œEarly reports indicate that the operational vehicle stopped properly at a stopping point at an intersection. Unfortunately, the haul truck seemed to make too narrow a turn and crushed the vehicle. We are investigating how that happened,'€ Bambang said.

He said no holdups in the investigation were anticipated, as the collision took place in an open area. He added that the haul truck'€™s driver had performed a test that proved he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

The accident in Freeport'€™s Grasberg mine adds to the list of mining accidents in the country. Figures from the mineral and coal office recorded that 232 accidents took place last year, a rise of 16 from the 216 recorded in 2012.

Out of the 232 accidents in 2013, 46 persons died, a significant increase from the 29 fatalities recorded in 2012.

Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based giant Freeport McMoRan Inc., resumed exports in August after a ban on mineral ore exports took effect on Jan. 12.

The US giant'€™s export permit granted after the firm on the condition that it would continue to negotiate its work contract in Indonesia.

The government is currently struggling to renegotiate a number of coal and mineral mining contracts to bring them in line with the 2009 Mining Law.