A Week of Dangerous Search in Medan, 3 Pongkor Miners Bogor Found Dead

Nanggung Police Chief AKP Ucup Supriatna together with the Head of the Java Region, CSR, and Sub-Division of PT Antam Tbk UBPE Pongkor Agustinus Toko Susetio at the Nanggung Police Station, Bogor Regency, West Java, Monday (19/1/2026). ANTARA/M Fikri Setiawan

BOGOR - A joint team evacuated three miners in the Pongkor area, Bogor Regency, West Java, a week after the smoke cloud incident. All victims were found dead.

Head of the Nanggung Police, AKP Ucup Supriatna, said the evacuation process was carried out together with the emergency response team of PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) and related elements from early Sunday to Monday morning.

"The three victims who were successfully evacuated were dead," said Ucup when giving a statement at the Nanggung Police, Antara, Monday, January 19.

He explained that the first evacuation was carried out on Sunday morning around 01.00 WIB to 04.00 WIB and managed to evacuate two victims. The search process was then continued at night until Monday morning and another victim was found.

"The two victims who were evacuated first were residents of Urug Village, Sukajaya District. Another victim also came from Urug Village, Sukajaya," said Ucup.

According to him, the location where the victim was found was not an operational area of PT Antam and was in a difficult area to reach. The evacuation process faced a high level of difficulty due to unstable geotechnical conditions and the presence of dangerous gas at the scene.

"The field is very dangerous. Even one of the members of the evacuation team was hit by a rock and suffered an injury to the shoulder," he said.

In addition to the three victims, the police also recorded two other miners who died due to the smoke and had been evacuated independently by residents. Both of them are residents of Malasari Village, Nanggung District.

"There are two more victims from Malasari Village who have been evacuated earlier. We came to the location after receiving information," said Ucup.

Until now, the police along with related elements are still monitoring the area around the incident and opening a standby post for people who feel they have lost their family members.

"We opened a post so that residents who feel they have lost a family member can report," said Ucup.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Java Region, CSR, and Sub-Division of PT Antam Tbk UBPE Pongkor Agustinus Toko Susetio emphasized that all victims were residents and not employees or contractors of PT Antam.

"The victims were in a non-operational area that should be sterile from mining activities. They are not Antam employees or contractors," he said.

Agustinus said the evacuation process was carried out with a high risk level so that the safety of officers became the main priority.

"Every step is taken very carefully because the location is difficult to reach and dangerous," he said.

All the victims who have been evacuated, he continued, have been handed over to the police for further handling in accordance with applicable regulations. The cause of the smoke plume in the mine area is still under investigation with the authorities and authorities.

"We are waiting for the results of a comprehensive search so that the information provided remains accurate and responsible," said Agustinus.