"This is a tragic national accident. We should not turn a blind eye to this matter. The government should affirm its attitude," Yan Mandenas, a local legislative assembly (DPRD) member said.
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - The central government, provincial and district administrations must reprimand PT Freeport Indonesia over the collapse of its underground training facility which claimed the lives of many victims, a local legislative assembly (DPRD) member said.

"Freeport must receive a warning or reprimand from the central and local governments, namely the provincial government and the Mimika regional administration over its negligence which caused the death of tens of its workers who were buried in the collapsed training facility," Yan Mandenas, chairman of Commission D of the DPRD, said here on Thursday.

Yan said that the collapse of the training facility was the biggest underground mining accident in Indonesia, or even in the world, which claimed the lives of tens of ministers.

"This is a tragic national accident. We should not turn a blind eye to this matter. The government should affirm its attitude," he stressed.

Yan Mandenas, who is also chairman of the Papua Regional Chapter of the People`s Conscience Party (Hanura), asked the US-owned copper and gold mining firm and the government to review its underground activities for the safety of workers and the preservation of the environment.

He said that there was the possibility that serious damage to the environment had been taking place that led to the accident which claimed most lives in the history of Freeport.

"Freeport must review it, conduct comprehensive underground research. This incident has just happened in the training facility. What would have happened if that took place in the place of active mining activities?" he questioned.

Twenty eight people have been found dead after an underground training facility at a PT Freeport Indonesia in Papua collapsed.

"We just received information 14 other bodies were found today," Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik said at a working meeting with House Commission VII in Jakarta on Tuesday.

So, totally 28 had died and 10 others had been injured, five seriously and five others lightly in the incident, he said.

He explained the incident occurred during routine training in underground mine safety, involving 40 participants consisting of 25 Papuans and 15 non-Papuans.

The training program had just gone for two days when on the second day the room where the training was held suddenly collapsed causing the participants to be buried under debris.

"The total number of the victims was 38 because two were absent that day," he said.

He said immediately after knowing about the incident he sent mining inspectors to Papua followed two days later by the director general of minerals and coal, Thamrien Sihite.

"We received information about the incident at 9am Eastern Indonesia Time on Tuesday and immediately three mining inspectors from the ministry of energy and mineral resources left for Papua followed two days later by director general Thamrin Sihite," he said.

On the way to the scene, he said, crowd stopped Thamrin and the president director of PT Freeport Indonesia and only after negotiation one of the three jeeps they used was allowed to pass to reach the scene.

At 7.40 am Eastern Indonesia Time on Tuesday (May 14) the Big Gossan underground tunnel collapsed while 38 Freeport workers were following a training program in it.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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