Rescuers pull another body from mine

Rescuers pull another body from mine

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

A rescue team from state mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam)
evacuated another body from inside the Mount Pongkor gold mine in
Bogor regency on Sunday at 12:45 p.m., bringing the number of
recovered bodies to seven.

The body of the victim, identified as Jabir, 35, had been
located on Friday near the exhaust fan at level four of the mine.
But efforts to recover the body had to be halted due to thick,
black smoke containing carbon monoxide.

The recovery effort on Saturday also had to be halted when the
carbon monoxide level in the mine jumped from 135 parts per
million (ppm) to 500 ppm. Five rescuers lost consciousness and
had to be taken to the nearest clinic.

"We have to accept this tragedy," said Jabir's brother, Udin,
adding that he had a premonition of disaster before Jabin left
for the mine for the final time.

"Before he left, he gave me Rp 50,000. It was strange ... he
never did that before."

The seven fatalities have been identified as Eman, Abas, Oman,
Iyan Sofyan, Heri Basri, Jabir and PT Antam employee Haris
Purwadi.

The company is using the mine's two main exhaust fans to suck
out deadly smoke from the mine to allow rescuers to continue
their search for bodies.

Bogor Police detectives chief Adj. Comr. Ferdy Sambo said
officers from the National Police forensic lab team would be
deployed to determine the cause of the fire that broke out at the
mine last Wednesday, killing several illegal miners who were in
the shaft at the time.

Survivors accused the company of causing the fire by burning
tires. But PT Antam has denied this allegation, saying it
suspected the illegal miners caused the tragedy by burning logs
to prevent Antam employees from approaching the mine.

Whoever caused the fire, the surviving illegal miners are
upset with the company's efforts to recover the bodies of the
victims.

"The team was busy clearing the smoke. They were afraid of
asphyxiation. We were the one who found the bodies of Iyan and
Heri (whose bodies were recovered on Friday evening)," said one
of the illegal miners, Wawan.

He added that other miners were ready to assist in efforts to
recover the bodies of their friends.

"We don't need all the equipment that they use. We can detect
the smoke with our noses."

Rescuer Fauzi denied the team had been slow in recovering the
bodies, saying caution was required because of the deadly smoke
in the mine shaft.

A spokesman for Pongkor, Poerwono Widodo, said Antam would not
be held responsible if the illegal miners insisted on entering
the mine to recover the bodies of their friends.

It is believed that six people are still inside the mine.

Iwi, whose sons Yudi and Iwan are among those still believed
to be in the mine, has given up hope of seeing his sons alive
again.

"I know my sons are dead. Whoever was trapped inside that mine
is dead. I no longer have hope that they are alive. I just want
to bring their bodies home and bury them," said Iwi, himself an
illegal miner.