21 May 2013

Four more bodies pulled from collapsed Papua mine tunnel

9:24 pm on 21 May 2013

21 mine workers are now confirmed dead as rescue work continues at the Grasberg mine in the Indonesian province of Papua.

A tunnel collapse on Wednesday trapped 38 miners and ten were rescued.

The workers were attending safety training in classrooms at the time of the tunnel collapse.

Freeport McMoRan, the company which owns and operates the mine, says rescuers have pulled four more bodies out today to bring the total number of deceased to 21, while there are seven still unaccounted for.

The company says it is providing assistance to families of the victims, including food, accommodation and transportation.

A spokesperson for Freeport say due to debris and falling rocks blocking access, the response team faces difficulties reaching the remaining workers, and hopes for any further survivors are virtually nil.