Rescue efforts to save eight workers trapped in an Indonesian mining hole in Java have increased, according to the New York Post.
Rescuers in Indonesia try to reach 8 workers trapped in an illegal mining hole https://t.co/fgC9Yp6zg6 pic.twitter.com/kd9BcUDlJM
— New York Post (@nypost) July 27, 2023
The search and rescue team scrambled to pump water out of the hole Thursday after the water level could not be reduced with smaller pumps during Wednesday attempts.
Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, a Central Java police spokesperson, confirmed the mining operation was unlicensed and illegal, but the rescue is focused on saving the workers.
On Tuesday evening, water filled the 196-foot-deep Banyumas district mining hole hours into the operation.
One of the miners, who was working outside of the area, witnessed water filling a nearby pit and implored the eight workers to get out, but they did not leave.
Another worker checked on them later and spotted water was flooding into the hole they were mining.
Flooding is commonly known to miners in Indonesia, as are landslides and tunnel collapses. Unlicensed mining operations are also common due to a demand for gold ore.
According to Rutgers University researcher Matthew Libassi’s paper in the Journal of Rural Sciences, presented by Science Direct, small-scale gold ore mining is one of the most important income sources in the world and thriving in Indonesia.
The paper concluded that:
“The geological concentration of gold in the region makes it possible for people there to make a living from the earth’s crust. But, like geology in general, the distribution of this gold is uneven and the particularities of this unevenness shape how people pursue and experience gold mining livelihoods.”
The New York Post noted in its article that processing gold ore is dangerous due to exposure to highly toxic mercury and cyanide and that miners do not often use protection from these elements.
Regardless of the perils the workers are facing, the rescue continues.
Adah Sudarsa, head of the local search and rescue team, stated, “We will do further assessment when the water entry points have been closed and the puddles are dry.”