Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Seven workers from major mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) remain trapped underground, one week after a landslide struck the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) mine in Tembagapura, Mimika, Central Papua.

The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Sept. 8, when a large volume of wet material flowed into part of the underground mine, cutting off evacuation routes. Rescue teams are still searching for a viable access route to the workers' location.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that the crisis remains ongoing.

"The people inside are still trapped. There is no further information, and the search is ongoing," Bahlil said at the State Palace on Monday, as quoted by Bisnis.com.

He added that Freeport's mining operations had been temporarily suspended and that the government was closely monitoring the situation.

Freeport was not immediately available for comment.

Mineral and Coal Director General Tri Winarno said that two of the seven trapped workers were foreign nationals.

"There are foreign nationals, one from Chile, one from South Africa, and the other five are from Indonesia. We have already communicated with their respective embassies," he said.

Deputy Energy Minister Yuliot Tanjung explained that rescue teams had faced significant setbacks. Two new tunnels were successfully dug to the initial target location within 30 hours, but the workers were not found there. This has forced authorities to reassess their strategies to locate and reach the employees.

"Hopefully, this can be resolved soon. The evacuation is still ongoing," Yuliot said.

The landslide, which occurred beneath the inactive Grasberg open-pit mine, was reportedly caused by unstable wet material originating from one of the GBC subdivisions.

In underground operations such as the GBC, Freeport maintains emergency shelters known as chambers, which are equipped with air supply, logistics and communication systems to safeguard workers in emergencies such as collapses or toxic gas exposure. It remains unclear whether the seven trapped workers have taken refuge in one of these facilities.

The Grasberg mining complex, one of the world's largest gold and copper deposits, is known for its challenging geological conditions, which require strict safety protocols. Freeport's Grasberg mine has experienced a string of fatal accidents over the past decade.

The worst incident occurred in May 2013, when 28 workers were killed after part of the Big Gossan underground training tunnel collapsed, marking the deadliest accident in the company's history.

In September 2014, four miners died in a vehicle collision at the open-pit site. Other incidents over the years, including rockfalls, equipment rollovers and mudslides, have also claimed lives.

In September 2023, a flash flood and landslide damaged Grasberg's milling facilities and roads, though no casualties were reported.

Beyond its mining operations in Papua, Freeport has also faced challenges with its downstream facilities. In Gresik, East Java, the company's US$3.7 billion Manyar copper smelter, inaugurated by former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in September 2024, was temporarily shut down after a fire broke out at its gas cleaning plant late last year.

Although no casualties were reported, the incident disrupted production at the world's largest single-line smelter and cast doubt on whether the facility could meet the government's mandated timeline for reaching full-scale operations.

Source: https://asianews.network/freeport-workers-still-trapped-as-mine-rescue-enters-second-week