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