Chronology of Smoke Appearing at Antam Bogor Gold Mine, Level 700 Activity Stopped
BOGOR - The Bogor Regional Police revealed the chronology of the appearance of smoke in the Pongkor Gold Mining Business Unit of PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), Nanggung District, Bogor Regency, West Java. Smoke was detected on Tuesday, January 13, at around 00.30 WIB on one of the mine levels.
The appearance of the smoke was known after a spike in carbon monoxide gas levels in the mine shaft. General Manager of PT Antam UBPE Pongkor Nilus Rahmat said the carbon monoxide level at Level 700 reached around 1,200 ppm, far exceeding the safe threshold. This condition is suspected to have been triggered by the burning of the supporting wood in the mine.
Knowing the situation, Antam management immediately evacuated all workers from the affected area and temporarily stopped mining activities at that level. Nilus ensured that no Antam employees were trapped or victims in the incident.
Bogor Police Chief AKBP Wikha Ardilestanto said there was no explosion in the mine area as information had circulated in the community. According to him, until now the exact source of the smoke has not been determined because the conditions inside the mine hole are still not safe to enter due to high levels of carbon monoxide.
"To ensure the original source, we have to wait until the gas level allows officers to enter," Wikha said, quoted by Antara, Thursday, January 15.
As news spread about hundreds of victims, Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto along with security personnel and Antam management visited the mine site in Nanggung District. He said the local government immediately held a meeting to ensure that the information developed in the community.
Rudy emphasized that the news about hundreds of victims was not true. The figure of 700 circulating, according to him, refers to the level or work portal in the mine, not the number of workers trapped. The local government, said Rudy, will still trace every developing information and convey developments based on data and facts in the field.