All 7 missing workers recovered from PT Freeport mine; all confirmed dead
Monday, October 6 2025 - 11:28 AM WIB
By Rara Suratmi
PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) announced that all seven workers who were trapped following a wet material slide at its Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) underground mine in Central Papua have now been found. Five of them were confirmed dead on Sunday, October 5, following the earlier recovery of two victims on September 20.
“After working tirelessly for 27 challenging days, the Emergency Response Team of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), together with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mimika Police, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), on Sunday, October 5, 2025, located and evacuated five coworkers from the site of the wet material slide at the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine. All five were found deceased,” said PTFI in a statement on Monday.
The final five victims were identified by police and medical teams as:
1. Zaverius Magai – PT Redpath Indonesia
2. Holong Gembira Silaban – PT Redpath Indonesia
3. Dadang Hermanto – PT Redpath Indonesia
4. Balisang Telile – South African national, PT Redpath Indonesia
5. Victor Bastida Ballesteros – Chilean national, PT Redpath Indonesia.
Read also: PT Freeport recovers three more workers after mine incident, search continues
The remains will be flown to Jakarta before being returned to each worker’s home region, except for Zaverius Magai, who will be buried in Kuala Kencana, Timika.
PTFI President Director Tony Wenas expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“They were not just colleagues, but part of the Freeport Indonesia family. This loss is heartbreaking for all of us. On behalf of myself and the company, I extend our deepest condolences to the families, who have been in Tembagapura since September 14. May God give us all strength and resilience,” Tony said.
He also thanked the rescue teams for their tireless efforts in navigating extremely difficult conditions, including roughly 800,000 tonnes of unstable wet material.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed time, effort, and prayers during this operation,” he added.
PTFI said it will continue to provide full support to the families of the deceased and ensure that all remains are handled with dignity and respect.
The incident occurred on September 8, 2025, when wet material unexpectedly entered the mine, blocking access to lower levels. Search efforts were hampered by difficult terrain and safety risks. Operations at the GBC mine have been suspended since the incident.
The Grasberg Block Cave is one of the world’s largest underground copper and gold mines. PTFI is majority-owned by the Indonesian government through MIND ID, while U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan holds a 48.76% stake.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak