Govt team to investigate landslide at Freeport mine
Saturday, March 25 2006 - 01:25 AM WIB
The head of mining inspection of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Witoro Soelarno, said in Jakarta that a team~ of two mining inspectors and three specialists from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency had been sent to analyze the impact of the landslide on the surrounding environment.
?But first of all we must know the cause,? Witoro said, adding that the specialists consisted of two geologists and a seismologist.
He said speculation about the cause of the landslide, which killed three people and injured 31, centered on three days of heavy rain weakening the soil.
?The heavy rain from March 19 to 21 added to the soil burden and made the cliff unstable,? he said. ?The detached soil then collapsed, breaking rocks and drainage and flowing down 188 meters from the cliff to the nearby lab, mess hail and office buildings.
?The purpose of the investigation is to prevent similar accidents ~from, happening again.?
Only four of the workers injured in the landslide remained hospitalized Friday, Freeport Indonesia?s spokesman Siddharta Moersjid said.
Witoro said the location of the landslide had been secured.
?We have put a slope stability radar to monitor the landslide location. The radar will ?give a warning siren it there is significant land movement,? he said.
Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dedy Djunaedy said in Timika the landslide was due to the unstable soil condition after incessant rainfall.
He said his officers would not investigate the case because Freeport had the resources to determine the cause.
?The management of PT Freeport will analyze the cause of the landslide to seek a solution in the future,? he said:
Search and rescue operations had also been stopped, while the mine?s operations were unaffected, he added. In Tirnika, the bodies of the workers killed in the landslide were flown Friday to their respective hometowns for burial.
The remains of Harsono Mokoginta were, returned to Manado, North Sulawesi; Thomas S. Toatubun to Thal, Maluku, while Wecky Sianturi Salomo?s body was sent to Depok, West Java.
They worked in the information technology section at PT Trakindo, one of Freeport?s contractors.
Friends and relatives of the victims flocked to Timika Airport as the bodies were sent home.
Currently, there are 18,000 workers at Freeport in Papua, 10,000 of whom are employed by the company?s contractors. (*)