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.