Jakarta. Freeport Indonesia’s rescue team is working around the clock to locate five workers still trapped underground nearly three weeks after a landslide at its Grasberg Block Cave mine in Papua. Operations at one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines remain suspended until all missing workers are recovered.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the decision was made after consultations with Freeport’s management. “Out of seven workers who were trapped, two have been found, while five remain unaccounted for,” Bahlil told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. “We have decided to stop all production activities and focus every piece of equipment, time, and manpower on the search and rescue mission.”

The landslide, which struck on Sept. 8 at the underground Grasberg Block Cave in Mimika, Central Papua, killed at least two people. On Sept. 20, recovery teams found the bodies of contractor Cita Contract’s electrical workers, Wigih Hartono and Irawan, who have since been laid to rest in their hometowns.

The five workers still missing are employees of contractor Redpath Indonesia: Victor Manuel Bastida Ballesteros, a Chilean national; Holong Gembira Silaban; Dadang Hermanto; Zaverius Magai; and Balisang Telile, who is believed to be from South Africa.

Freeport’s vice president of corporate communications, Katri Krisnati, said rescue teams are deploying every available resource. “The team continues the search and rescue of our colleagues by mobilizing all efforts,” she said.

Crews are excavating from two separate access points and installing new infrastructure to reach the affected area, where unstable ground and limited air supply complicate the mission. Remote-controlled loaders and heavy equipment are being used to minimize risks to rescuers.

The suspension is already affecting Freeport’s production and regional revenues, Bahlil acknowledged, but officials stressed that the safety of workers takes precedence. “This situation impacts company and local income, but our priority is clear: finding and rescuing the workers,” Bahlil said.

Government estimates suggest Freeport Indonesia’s copper and gold output has dropped to about 30 percent of capacity since the suspension.

Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based Freeport-McMoRan, is Indonesia’s largest copper and gold producer and a major contributor to state revenue. Its Grasberg operations are among the most technically challenging underground mining projects globally.

The tragedy comes as the government and Freeport negotiate an expansion of Indonesia’s ownership in the company. Jakarta currently holds a 51 percent stake through state mining firm MIND ID and is seeking to raise its ownership by as much as 12 percent by October.

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