Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The search for seven workers trapped in PT Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg Block Cave underground mine in Central Papua is still ongoing, officials said Friday. The workers have been missing since a landslide of material struck the mine late Monday night, September 8, at around 10 p.m. local time.
Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot Tanjung said rescue crews have dug two new tunnels to reach the workers last known location. However, when the team arrived, the workers were not there.
“The two new tunnels have reached the initial point where the workers were believed to be trapped. But they were not at the site,” Yuliot told reporters in Jakarta on Friday (September 12).
He explained that shortly after the collapse, the trapped workers briefly communicated with ground teams via handheld radios. Based on that contact, officials estimated their location and expected to reach them within 30 hours.
“After 30 hours and additional tunneling, the workers have still not been found,” Yuliot said, adding that communication has since been lost, likely because the radios’ batteries ran out.
The Grasberg mine’s vast, winding underground network has made the search difficult. “Communication has been cut off, but the field team continues to trace which tunnel they may have moved into,” he said.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has deployed personnel to the site to assist with the rescue. Yuliot stressed that the operation remains focused on locating the missing workers as quickly as possible. “The situation has developed differently from initial estimates, but we are working to speed up the process,” he said.
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Freeport Indonesia Vice President for Corporate Communications Katri Krisnati said the company has suspended all underground operations since the incident to concentrate on the rescue effort.
“We immediately halted underground mining operations and are directing all resources toward evacuating the seven missing contractor workers,” Katri told local media on Wednesday.
She said Freeport’s emergency response team is working nonstop to clear blocked access, though shifting debris has hampered progress. “We remain in close contact with the workers’ families and continue to pray for their safety,” Katri added.
(Raidi/Agung)
