Mine reoperating after fatal incident<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Bogor<\/p>\n
The state mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) has resumed
\noperation after a deadly incident inside Mount Pongkor gold mine
\nin Bogor regency, although miners are still trapped within the
\nmine.<\/p>\n
Head of Pongkor operation unit, Iwan Irawan, reassured the
\npublic on Saturday that activities at the mine operation would
\nnot be disrupted by the incident that took place early on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
"We resumed activities on Friday... the evacuation process is
\nongoing as we believe that six illegal gold miners are still
\ntrapped," he said.<\/p>\n
So far, the rescue team has evacuated six illegal miners. One
\nAntam employee died, probably from inhaling thick, black smoke
\nfrom inside the mine.<\/p>\n
Iwan added that, to date, the origin and cause of the smoke
\nhad not been determined.<\/p>\n
His assistant, Eko Warman, explained that there were hundreds
\nof man-sized holes in the pit, which had been excavated by
\nillegal miners. He added that rescuers would have to check the
\nholes one by one.<\/p>\n
"We only know that the smoke is coming from the Kubang Kicau
\nmine where illegal mining is rife. When the incident took place,
\nAntam employees were working in Ciurug mine, which is 1.6
\nkilometers away," Eko said.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Eko assumed that illegal miners had lit the fire,
\nwhich had caused an abundance of smoke with a high carbon
\nmonoxide level.<\/p>\n
"Many of them (miners) stay inside the mine for days,
\nsometimes they bring cooking equipment and logs to make a fire
\nfor cooking," he claimed.<\/p>\n
Company officials denied earlier reports that employees had
\nset tires alight to smoke out the illegal miners.<\/p>\n
Antam executive director Dedi Aditya Sumanagara said that
\nlighting a fire within a mine was very dangerous, "We would never
\ndo that to flush out illegal miners, or for any other purpose,
\nbecause it would harm our employees," he continued.<\/p>\n
Iwan said that completion of the evacuation process would
\ndepend on the carbon monoxide level inside the mine.<\/p>\n
The company is using its two main exhaust fans to suck out the
\ndeadly smoke and blow fresh air into the tunnels, in a bid to
\nreduce the carbon monoxide level to below the tolerable level of
\n25 parts per million (ppm).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, it was reported that rescuers were forced to stop
\nwork on Saturday afternoon as the carbon monoxide level suddenly
\nincreased to 500 ppm from the earlier 153 ppm.<\/p>\n
A survivor said that smoke had first inundated the mine on
\nWednesday afternoon and quickly engulfed the highest level of the
\npit, located approximately 500 meters above the base of the
\nmountain, where more than 90 miners were working.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mine-reoperating-after-fatal-incident-1447893297",
"image": ""
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