Rescue operation for trapped miners in Indonesia's Central Java ends
JAKARTA - The search and rescue (SAR) operation for eight miners in a 60-metre deep unlicensed gold mining hole in Central Java officially ended today.
The authorities took the decision after discussion with all rescue agencies, head of the Cilacap SAR Office, Adah Sudarsa, said, adding that ‘there were no signs of life’.
"Considering the geological conditions and the narrow hole of the accident site, it became difficult to operate,” he said in a statement.
The miners have been trapped underground at the Pancurendang gold mine on the outskirts of Ajibarang, Banyumas for seven days when the underground water basin suddenly flooded it.
Rescuers have tried to drain some of the water using 37 pump machines and blocked five nearby water entry points, but the water did not recede.
A plaque was put up at the site of the tragic accident to remember the miners, while the area remained cordoned off, with multiple police vehicles at the scene.
Last Saturday, Banyumas Police detained three suspects in connection with the incident and are searching for one more.
The suspects, identified as the landowner, site owner, investor, and mine operator, are allegedly responsible for illegal gold extraction in the area. - BERNAMA
