Jakarta: Eight miners have been trapped in a pit at an illegal mining site since late Tuesday evening. On Thursday, Indonesian rescuers increased their efforts to free the miners.
As they brought in six larger submersible water pump units to remove the water from the hole and attempted to seal off openings where water seeped in from the groundwater basin, the joint search and rescue team was working against the clock. On Wednesday, smaller pumps weren't able to lower the water.
The head of the neighbourhood search and rescue office, Adah Sudarsa, stated in a statement, "We will conduct additional assessment once the water entry points have been sealed off and the puddles are dry.
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On Java, the largest island in Indonesia, water suddenly flooded the mining area just hours after the eight workers entered the pit, trapping them inside a 60-meter-deep mining hole.
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Eight miners were asked to leave the pit by a miner who was standing outside the Banyumas district pit and noticed water gathering nearby. Later, when a different worker checked, he discovered that the miners were still inside the flooded hole. According to Central Java police spokesperson Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto in a written statement, they attempted to use a water pump to extract water, but the water had not yet subsided. He also noted that the gold mining area is unlicensed.
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Other dangers that miners encounter in Indonesia, where there are numerous small, artisanal, and frequently illegal mining operations, include landslides, flooding, and tunnel collapses. Highly toxic mercury and cyanide are frequently used in the processing of gold ore, and workers frequently wear little to no protective gear.
In December, a coal mine explosion in West Sumatra province claimed the lives of ten miners. In North Sulawesi province in February 2019, a makeshift wooden structure in an illegal gold mine collapsed due to shifting soil and the substantial number of mining pits, resulting in the deaths of more than 40 people.