Rescue workers insert a hose to extract water from an illegal gold mining pit at Pancurendang village in Banyumas, on July 26, 2023. - AFP
JAKARTA (dpa): Rescue workers in Indonesia's Central Java province are working around the clock to save eight gold miners who have been trapped in a flooded pit for nearly two days, an official said Thursday (July 27).
The miners were working in a small gold mine in the Banyumas district when water suddenly flooded the 60-metre pit late on Tuesday, said Adah Sudarsa, the head of the local search and rescue office.
"We hope to lower the water level as soon as possible so we can reach the miners," Sudarsa said.
The rescue team, which consists of local officials, police, military and volunteers, has been trying to pump out the water using submersible pumps since Wednesday.
On Thursday, they increased the number and size of the pumps to six and also sealed off the water sources.
Millions of people in Indonesia work in illegal or unlicensed mines that often are not governed by safety standards or environmental protection measures.
Many small-scale gold miners use mercury to extract gold from ore, a method that poses serious health risks to themselves and their communities.
Accidents like landslides, cave-ins and floods are frequent in these mines, resulting in hundreds of deaths every year.
