Blast warning: Rescuers waiting at the entrance of the coal mine during the search for victims after the explosion in West Sumatra. — AP
TEN workers were killed in Indonesia after an explosion in a coal mine caused a collapse, a rescue agency official said.
The miners were at a coal mine in the West Sumatra province when the blast buried an estimated 14 people on Friday.
The mine “reportedly collapsed due to an explosion caused by methane”, local search and rescue agency spokesman Octavianto, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said in a statement.He said 10 bodies were recovered, while four people survived.
The blast, caused by a buildup of gases occurred in the privately owned mine in Sawahlunto district.
The mine was reported to be a licensed operation.
Rescuers used blowers and exhaust fans to remove the gases from the mine to make it safe to enter.
“The team struggled to find victims considering the location was quite difficult,” Octavianto said.
Videos distributed by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed rescuers carrying victims out on stretchers and giving them oxygen from tanks.
Others showed yellow body bags being carried from the pit.
Mining accidents are common across the mineral-rich nation, especially at unlicensed abandoned sites where people scrounge for leftover ore without using proper safety equipment. — AFP/AP
