AusQuest Limited advised that it has commenced its maiden drilling program at the Los Otros Porphyry Copper Project in southern Peru, which is subject to its Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) with a wholly-owned subsidiary of South32 Limited. The program, comprising ~1,200m of Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling (3-5 holes), will be undertaken as an initial test of a series of large porphyry copper targets located close to the Palaeocene Porphyry Copper Belt of southern Peru, which is the country's major copper producing region. The program is estimated to take around two weeks to complete with assay results expected to be available approximately six weeks after completion of drilling.

The porphyry copper target at Los Otros is associated with an area of advanced argillic alteration (~1km²) that has a Palaeocene age date, similar to the age dates reported for the giant porphyry copper deposits located nearby.