Jakarta. Mining giant Freeport announced Monday that all seven workers who were trapped underground at Papua’s Grasberg mine had been found dead after nearly one month of search.

On September 8, approximately 800,000 metric tons of wet material entered the mine from the former Grasberg open pit. The flow reached the service level of the mine where the missing workers were. The team had recovered two bodies on September 20. They finally found the five remaining bodies, two of whom were foreigners, on October 5. 

“These workers were friends and part of the extended Freeport family. This loss has truly saddened everyone. On behalf of the company and myself, I extend my condolences to the families,” Freeport Indonesia’s CEOTony Wenas said.

All five of the recently found victims were working for the underground mining contractor Redpath Indonesia. They were Holong Gembira Silaban, Dadang Hermanto, and Zaverius Magai. The mud-flow disaster also killed South African man Balisang Telile, as well as a Chilean national Victor Bastida Ballesteros. 

Freeport will bring all bodies to Jakarta before being taken to their respective hometowns for the funeral. The late Zaverius will have his body buried in the Papuan district of Kuala Kencana. The September 20 search had retrieved the bodies of Wigih Hartono and Irawan. Both were electricians for a company called Cita Contract. Tony admitted the search-and-rescue attempts had met some challenges, citing the mine’s location and the huge volume of wet material.

In a separate statement, Freeport-McMoran’s top brass expressed condolences, while saying a probe is underway. This investigation is expected to finish by the end of the year.

"We are committed to investigating the cause of the incident and to taking all steps necessary to prevent recurrence,” Freeport-McMoran's board chairman Richard C Adkerson and its chief executive officer Kathleen Quirk said.

Freeport has suspended Grasberg’s operations to prioritize the search. According to the company’s estimates, the Grasberg ore body accounts for half of Freeport Indonesia’s estimated proven and probable reserves as of the end of last year. It represents 70 percent of its previously forecast copper and gold production through 2029.

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