Papua: Two Freeport Indonesia workers still missing following landslide

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Two workers of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) have still been reported missing following a landslide that occurred off the area of the "Ore Bin 6 Conveyor 66 Feeder 6 MLA Mile 74" in Tembagapura Subdistrict, Mimika District, Papua Province, on Wednesday.

The two missing employees were identified as Kawi Yanto Waroy and Taufik Adnin Rasyad. The landslide that occurred at around 04.00 pm local time also injured two other workers—Meksy Kemuan and Yoshanis Yoku—the local authorities revealed.

The four ill-fated workers were present in the area when the landslide hit, but the Papua provincial police spokesman, Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal, said on Wednesday evening that he had not yet received a report on the disaster and the missing and wounded victims.

"I have to check the situation first; we are yet to receive a report on the disaster," he said.

Meanwhile, Antara was yet to receive an official explanation about the missing workers and the landslide because PTFI Spokesman Reza Pratama could not be contacted.

PTFI is a mining company that explores copper, gold, and silver in the Grasberg minerals district in Papua Province.

PTFI, which employs around 30 thousand people, said on its official website that it would "ramp up production from two new large-scale, high-grade underground mines" over the next two years.

"We expect production in the Grasberg district to be double the levels of 2019 by 2021," CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) Richard Adkerson said.

The landslide has only added to the ample natural disasters that hit Papua Province. On March 16, 2019, flash floods submerged Sentani.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 104 people were killed, and 97 of the bodies were found in Jayapura District, while seven others were discovered in Jayapura City.

The catastrophe that occurred after heavy rain hit the Jayapura District area on Saturday night (March 16) also forced 8,773 people to evacuate to higher ground and they were sheltered in 18 different camps.

The flash floods also destroyed 350 houses, three bridges, eight drainage systems and four sections of roads.(ANT-BPJ).