Freeport's six workers still missing

Six of the 13 workers who missed during a slippage at Freeport Indonesia's Grasberg mine in Mimika, Papua on Thursday, last week have not been found, while the search and rescue operation was stopped on Sunday due to a heavy rain and a thick fog, Kompas reported on Monday.

The chief of the Mimika police, Paul Waterpau said on Saturday that the search and rescue team failed to locate the six missing workers during the operation carried early in the morning on Sunday.

"The search and rescue operation was resumed on Monday but it could be carried out only between nine to 11 in the morning due to a harsh weather," he said. The six missing workers include Fredrikus Tokan from Flores, Agus Quilem (Toraja), Finai Bolung (Manado), Suradi (Central Java) and Warto (East Java).

Freeport earlier said that 16 of its workers were believed to be trapped under the rocks following the slippage of about 2.3 million tons of materials of rocks. Two of the workers, Phlipus Pondan (Toraja) and Budi Kuncoro (Central Java), were killed during the incident.

Six of the other workers suffered serious injuries. Four of them including Sucipto, Abdullah Mar, Enggelbertus Rumere and Saaf Sumargun are treated at the Tembaga hospital in Mimika. Their conditions have indicated significant improvement. Two other workers have been evacuated out of Timika. Syamsuri was taken to Town Village Hospital in Australia and Jalaluddin was brought to St Corolus hospital in Jakarta. (*)