Zinifex shareholders approve $4 bln Oxiana merger

MELBOURNE, June 16 (Reuters) - Shareholders in Australian miner Zinifex ZFX.AX on Monday approved a A$4.3 billion ($4.0 billion) takeover by fellow miner Oxiana Ltd OXR.AX, creating Australia's third-largest diversified mining group.

Proxy votes showed 94 percent of Zinifex shareholders in favour of the deal. The proxy votes account for 84.2 percent of total shareholder votes.

The combined company will be the country's third-largest miner after BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) and Rio Tinto (RIO.AX).

The companies have said they will have a broader commodity base and be better placed to seek fresh acquisitions after the merger, as they seek to grab a bigger share of booming world mineral demand.

Consolidation among miners worldwide has picked up on expectations of continued strong demand for base metals from China and India as the two Asian economies expand rapidly. ($1=A$1.06) (Reporting by Victoria Thieberger)