Families bury 5 workers killed in Pongkor mine

Families bury 5 workers killed in Pongkor mine

BOGOR (JP): The bodies of five workers from state-owned PT
Aneka Tambang's gold mining unit at Pongkor, who were killed when
a mine shaft caved in on Saturday, were retrieved yesterday
morning.

"All of them were taken and buried by their relatives in the
evening," Nanggung subdistrict head Dadan Mulyadi told The
Jakarta Post last night.

The five victims were part of a team of 11 night shift
workers. During their 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, seven members of
the team were assigned to work in the shaft.

Two miners managed to scramble free of the shaft and they were
being treated at Karya Bhakti Hospital for minor injuries.

Reports said that the workers had been down the shaft for
about one hour before it collapsed.

According to Dadan, the five gold miners were wearing adequate
safety gear but the accident happened so quickly that they did
not have time to save themselves.

"Heavy rain a few hours prior to the accident caused a
landslide at the site," he said.

The five workers were buried inside the shaft which was
located on a 590-meter-high hill near the Bantar Karet village,
about 80 kilometers west of Bogor.

With the help of local villagers and security officers, about
100 of the men's fellow workers were able to locate two of the
victims on Saturday evening after they saw legs sticking out of
the ground.

"But by 10:20 a.m. today (Sunday), all of them had been
retrieved," Dadan said.

The five were identified as Asda, Tolib, Sai, Badrudin and
Saebi, who were aged between 22 and 26.

The two survivors from the shaft were Sudin, 26, and Buhori,
28.

"All of them are residents of Bantar Karet."

Dadan said that he had been informed by Aneka Tambang that all
of the miners were insured.

"But I have no idea about the amount," he said.

The subdistrict head also said that he did not know whether
police had questioned or arrested someone in relation to the
accident.

Bogor City Police Chief Lt. Col. Ruslan Riza could not be
reached yesterday for comment.

"He is sleeping now, meaning that nobody is allowed to disturb
him," one of the chief's subordinates said when contacted
yesterday afternoon.

Aneka Tambang's executives were also unavailable for further
comment.

Early reports suggested that the side of the hill above the
shaft began to shift, making a thundering noise. Reports also
said that the landslide was caused by a tremor but its source was
not known.

According to a survey conducted by Aneka Tambang in 1991, the
Pongkor unit, which started operations in May 1994, has proven
reserves of more than six million tons of ore.

Every ton of ore contains 17.14 grams of gold and 154.28 grams
of silver.

Pongkor's annual production is estimated to reach five tons of
gold and 10 tons of silver next year. (24/jun/bsr)