Miners still trapped, 4 fatalities confirmed

Miners still trapped, 4 fatalities confirmed

Theresia Sufa and Tony Hotland , The Jakarta Post, Bogor/Jakarta

A rescue team sent by state mining company PT Aneka Tambang
(Antam) failed on Thursday to evacuate an unknown number illegal
miners trapped inside the company's Mount Pongkor gold mine in
Bogor regency, due to an abundance of thick, black smoke still
inside the mine.

On Wednesday morning, reports said that dozens of illegal
miners entered the mine and tires were set on fire inside to
flush them out. Four were confirmed dead. Survivors claimed the
fire was lit by Antam workers, a charge which the company denied
on Thursday.

"The smoke contains carbon monoxide at a level of 153 parts
per million (ppm), much higher than the tolerable level of 25
ppm," said Abdullah, a rescuer.

Four people -- three illegal miners and one Antam employee --
died on Wednesday. Six other employees had apparently collapsed
but survived while four others were still missing. The number of
illegal miners may be over 100.

National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko, however,
said that 10 people had died.

Police and PT Antam had different figures on the number of
illegal miners: The police said 200, while the company said 90.

Police are also investigating the cause of the fire.

Survivors accused Antam employees of starting the fire, but a
company official, Iwan Irawan, denied the allegations and said
the illegal miners had been burning logs outside the mine shaft,
a practice they often did.

Antam spokesman, Poerwono Widodo, also denied that the blaze
was sparked by PT Antam employees.

"It is impossible for the employees to have burned something
inside the mine. We are not allowed to do that, because of the
danger of smoke inhalation," he said.

Poerwono also denied some of the survivors' claim that they
had bribed the company's security guards to get in, and added
that they had fired 10 employees for taking bribes in the last
several years.

The evacuation of the remaining miners is expected to resume
within two days.