Freeport Indonesia says search for five trapped Grasberg workers still ongoing

Freeport Indonesia said on Thursday that the search for five missing workers at the Grasberg copper and gold mine was still ongoing, more than three weeks after a deadly mud flow disaster at the site.

Around 800,000 metric tons of wet material flooded the mine on September 8, trapping seven workers. Two bodies have since been recovered.

Operator Freeport-McMoRan has already declared force majeure at the mine and lowered its sales estimates.

“The search for our five colleagues who are still missing continues relentlessly,” Katri Krisnati, a Freeport Indonesia spokesperson said in a statement.

“This high-risk rescue process also faces significant challenges due to the movement of wet material,” the statement added.

Rescuers excavated two access routes and are deploying heavy equipment with remote control systems, as the search area deepens and air circulation becomes more limited, Freeport said.

The company did not immediately respond to a question about the condition of the trapped workers.

The incident, as well as the suspension of all mining activities at Grasberg, has caused a jump in global copper prices.

(By Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by David Stanway)