Jakarta. Search and rescue teams on Sunday recovered three more bodies from the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine operated by Freeport Indonesia, nearly a month after a massive landslide trapped seven miners in Mimika, Central Papua.

One of the victims has been identified as Victor Bastida Ballesteros, a Chilean national, while the other two remain under identification, the company confirmed.

The latest recovery brings the confirmed death toll to five, with two miners still missing following the September 8 landslide that buried part of the mine’s deep-level tunnel system.

“On behalf of myself and the company, I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, who have been in Tembagapura since September 14,” said Tony Wenas, President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, in a statement from Jakarta. “May God Almighty give us all strength and fortitude in this difficult time.”

Wenas added that the tragedy had deeply affected the company’s workforce.

“To us, they were not just colleagues -- they were part of the Freeport family. Their passing is a profound loss for everyone in the organization,” he said.

Freeport Indonesia stated that it is providing full assistance and counseling to the victims’ families during the identification and post-evacuation process.

The deadly incident occurred when wet mud and rock collapsed within the Grasberg Block Cave area, one of the world’s largest underground copper and gold mines. Most miners were safely evacuated, but seven remained trapped in the debris.

On September 20, the first two victims were found and identified as Irawan, 46, from Cilacap, Central Java, and Wigih Hartono, 37, from Tulungagung, East Java.

Authorities have not released the names of the two remaining missing workers, but search operations continue under challenging underground conditions.

The incident has renewed scrutiny over mine safety standards in one of the world’s most resource-rich yet geologically unstable regions.

Freeport suspended all mining activities at the affected site immediately after the collapse and has announced that operations will remain halted until at least 2027 as safety reviews and structural recovery work continue.

The Grasberg complex, jointly managed by Freeport-McMoRan and the Indonesian government, employs thousands of workers and contributes significantly to Indonesia’s export earnings.

Add as a preferred source on Google +