Jakarta. Rescue teams at Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg mine in Papua are scrambling to reach seven workers trapped underground after a torrent of mud flooded the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) tunnels earlier this week.

The Tembagapura police said on Thursday that Freeport’s Emergency Response Group (ERG) has been working around the clock since the incident late Monday to clear the mud, which continues to push deeper into the tunnels.

“Heavy equipment cannot be brought into the tunnels. Each time the mud is cleared, more material keeps flowing forward. The volume is still very large,” Tembagapura police chief Iptu Firman told state news agency Antara.

With the main rescue route blocked, Freeport is attempting to drill a new access point to deliver food and supplies to the trapped workers. “They are making a new hole to drop logistics inside,” Firman said, adding that the workers are believed to have access to underground bunkers.

Communication with the seven miners has not yet been established. Local reports suggested that two foreign nationals --a Chilean and an African worker -- may be among those trapped, though authorities have not confirmed their identities.

Freeport spokesperson Katri Krisnati said all underground mining operations at Grasberg have been suspended to focus resources on the rescue effort. “We are fully focused on evacuating the seven contractor workers who have yet to be reached,” she said in a statement, adding that the company has also been coordinating with the workers’ families.

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