JAKARTA (Reuters) – Two bodies have been recovered in the search for seven Freeport Indonesia workers trapped underground at a major copper mine since September 8 due to heavy mudflows, Indonesian media reported.
The team is still looking for the other workers and the identification process will begin when police arrive, media outlets quoted a company spokesperson as saying.
Representatives for Freeport Indonesia and the local police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
After the incident at Grasberg, one of the world’s biggest copper mines, Freeport suspended operations at the mine’s main production block, senior Indonesian mining ministry official Tri Winarno said this week. He added that smaller sites were up and running.
In addition to five Indonesians, the workers included a Chilean and a South African, Tri said.
(Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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