Freeport Still Struggling To Evacuate 7 Workers Trapped In The Underwater Area Of The Tembagapura Mine

CENTRAL PAPUA - Tembagapura Sector Police (Polres) stated that the PT Freeport Indonesia Emergency Response Group (ERG) team is still struggling to immediately evacuate seven workers trapped in the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) underground mining area in Tembagapura, Mimika, Central Papua.

Tembagapura Police Chief Iptu Firman, contacted by ANTARA from Timika, Thursday afternoon, said PT Freeport had deployed a number of equipment to remove wet mud material that had inundated the GBC underground mining area since Monday, September 8, 2025 night.

"Heavy equipment cannot enter the tunnel because once the mud is lifted forward (driven forward). Until now there is still a lot of mud," said Iptu Firman.

Responding to this condition, he said, PT Freeport's management is trying to create new holes to supply foodstuffs and communicate with seven workers who are still trapped in the underground mining area.

"The information we received they made another hole to be able to drop food into," he said.

The Tembagapura police chief has not been able to confirm the safety conditions of the seven trapped workers.

"We don't know about that yet, what is clear is that in the underground mining tunnel there is a kind of bunker for shelter. Hopefully they will take shelter in that place," Iptu Firman hoped.

He also did not dare to confirm that two of the seven workers trapped in the GBC underground mining area were foreign nationals.

"It cannot be ascertained because there has been no official submission from the management of PT Freeport," he explained.

Based on information circulating in Timika, it is known that there are two foreign workers from Chile and Africa who are also trapped in the GBC underground mine.

The following are the names of seven workers trapped in the underground mine of PT Freeport in Tembagapura:

1. Irwan2. Wigih Hartono3. Victor Manuel Bastida Ballesteros4. Happy Holong Silaban5. Dadang Hermanto6. Zaverius Magai7. Balisang Telile.

Previously, Katri Krisnati as VP Corporate Communications of PT Freeport Indonesia in a written statement stated that until now the seven trapped workers could not be contacted since the GBC underground mining area was hit by wet mud on September 8, 2025 night.

Due to this incident, PT Freeport has temporarily suspended all underground mining operations.

"We continue to concentrate all resources on evacuating seven contractor workers who have yet to be contacted due to the incident of wet material flow at the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine," he said.

Freeport management is also known to continue to build communication with the families of the trapped workers.