Illegal miners remain trapped

By Ruli Setiawan

As many as 12 illegal miners remain trapped underground in Bogor, West Java, Wednesday as rescue efforts have been made difficult by heavy rains.

Bogor Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto said that about 300 people including police, military, other officials, and local residents have been deployed for the search and rescue operation.

The illegal miners were trapped underground after a tunnel at the Pongkor gold mine owned by IDX-listed mining firm PT Aneka Tambang collapsed Tuesday evening.

Separately, Antam said in a statement Thursday that its gold mining activity in Pongkor has not been interrupted by the incident.

The company said that although the incident occurred at its concession area, it occurred outside the operations area of the Gold Mining Business Unit. The incident occurred in one of the blocks of the Halimun-Salak Mountain National Park area.

ANTAM?s Operations Director Agus Zamzam Jamaluddin said: ?Currently the evacuation team, led by the Chief of Bogor Police Force with members from the Government of Bogor Regency, the Armed Forces and other related parties, is conducting a rescue effort. Our operational activity is not interrupted as the incident occurred outside of the operations area.?

Due to the large concession area and many public foot access to the park, Antam said it faces challenges in limiting access to the area.

Antam said it has been intensifying its activity to reduce illegal mining activities in cooperation with the Police, the Government of Bogor Regency, the management of Halimun-Salak Mountain National Park and members of the community. Antam added it continues to warn local communities about the dangers of illegal mining and the negative impact of illegal mining to the environment.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak