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)