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Freeport Indonesia announced Monday that rescuers in the country’s Papua region had recovered the final five bodies, including two foreign nationals, of mine workers who were trapped underground by a landslide nearly a month ago.
The bodies of the other two missing workers were found in September.
The disaster struck on September 8 when material from an extraction point collapsed at one of five sections of the Grasberg Block Cave underground gold and copper mine in Tembagapura, Central Papua.
The landslide cut off access routes and prevented evacuation, trapping seven workers inside. Two bodies were discovered on September 2o, nearly two weeks after the incident, while rescuers continued searching for the remaining five.
“After 27 days of continuous efforts, the rescue team located and evacuated the remaining five workers from the mud flow area. Sadly, all were found dead,” the company said in a statement.
Among the victims were a South African and a Chilean national. Company president director Tony Wenas explained that the recovery mission was hampered by the difficult terrain and the sheer volume of material — around 800,000 tonnes—from the mud flow.
One victim will be buried in Papua, while the others will be transported to Jakarta before being repatriated to their home countries.
Freeport Indonesia suspended operations at the mine following the disaster to focus on the rescue and announced last week that production is expected to resume early next year.
The Grasberg Block Cave is one of three mines operated by Freeport Indonesia and forms part of one of the world’s largest gold and copper mining complexes, which has frequently been at the centre of Papua’s long-running insurgency.
