September 26, 2025 | 04:57 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Production activity at PT Freeport Indonesia's underground mine in Tembagapura, Papua, remains suspended following a landslide incident that claimed worker casualties. Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia stated that production activity was halted since the early stages of the incident to focus all resources on the search and rescue efforts for the victims.
"Since the landslide incident, I have immediately coordinated with Freeport's management. It was decided to suspend all production activities, and the focus is on searching for our trapped colleagues underground," Bahlil told reporters at his office in Central Jakarta on Friday, September 26, 2025.
Bahlil mentioned that the search operation is still ongoing and Freeport has not resumed operations yet. The landslide occurred on Monday night, September 8, 2025. "It has been almost three weeks with no production, which certainly impacts both the company's and the region's productivity and revenue. However, our priority remains the safety of the workers," he said.
Bahlil continues to communicate with Tony Wenas, the president director of Freeport Indonesia, and the on-site mine inspection team. "Our team is in Tembagapura, reporting that the evacuation process is still ongoing, and there is absolutely no production activity," he said.
PT Freeport Indonesia previously reported that two out of seven trapped workers were found on Saturday, September 20, 2025. However, the search for the remaining five victims is still ongoing.
Vice President Corporate Communications of Freeport Indonesia, Katri Krisnati, stated that the rescue team continues to work on opening access to the workers' location using heavy equipment, drills, and drones. However, these efforts face significant challenges due to the large volume of wet material, which is more extensive than the previous incident and still in active motion. "The rescue process is very complex, high-risk, and requires more time," she said, cited from a written statement on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
The Ministry of Energy stated that out of the seven victims, two are foreign nationals from Chile and South Africa, while the other five are Indonesians. "For the foreign workers, communication has been made with their respective embassies," said the Director General of Mineral and Coal at the Ministry of Energy, Tri Winarno, when met at the parliament complex on Monday, September 15, 2025.
The landslide incident at Freeport's underground mine is not the first of its kind. On May 14, 2013, a similar landslide claimed the lives of 28 out of 34 trapped workers. Two weeks later, on May 31, 2013, another worker experienced an accident after being buried in mud material.
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