Four illegal workers die in gold mine collapse

BOGOR (JP): Four illegal miners were killed and a soldier severely injured when a shaft of a gold mine managed by state- owned PT Aneka Tambang at Pongkor mountain in Nanggung here caved-in on Saturday, Muin, a member of the local disaster post said on Monday.

Muin denied media reports on Monday that the dead toll reached 16.

"We have been working for two days and only found the four dead victims and the one injured," Muin told The Jakarta Post by phone.

"The shaft was only capable of accommodating six people. It's impossible that 16 workers were killed in the shaft," he said.

Many people, including workers, were seen at the scene during the incident, but not all of them were in the tunnel, he said.

Some of the workers fled because they were afraid of being arrested by the company's security guards, he said.

According to Muin, two of the four fatalities were identified as Jead, 25, and Syamsuddin, 21, while the other two bodies have still not been identified.

He said the military officer, identified as Jayanuddin, suffered a broken leg and was being treated at a hospital.

He did not mention why the soldier was in the mine when the shaft collapsed.

No rain was reported during the accident on Saturday, and it is believed that the cave-in was caused by the collapse of the shaft's support poles erected by the illegal miners.

On Oct. 18, last year, five illegal workers were killed when heavy rainfalls caused a mine tunnel at the Pongkor gold mine to collapse.

Six other illegal workers were killed when a huge tree collapsed on them at the mining site on July 21 of this year.

Aneka Tambang has often called for the illegal workers to stop their mining activities, but the calls have been ignored. (24/jun)