A traditional-and illegal-gold miner loading his findings into a machine mixed with mercury, to separate pure gold from dirt and rocks in Purworejo, Central Java (4/6). TEMPO/Marifka Wahyu Hidayat
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A goldminer in West Java died from drowning on Wednesday after the mine pit he was working in was overflowed with water. The victim's body had been evacuated while four other miners who were also working at Mount Rosa, Cianjur, are reported missing.
A team consisting of military personnel, police officers, and volunteers are still trying to suck out the water that had filled the gold pit, covering the exit.
Cianjur police chief Adj. Comm. Dedy Kusuma Bakti said the incident began when the pump used to drain water from excavation pit stopped working, causing water to flood the pit and drown the five miners.
"They were stuck since Tuesday. We found out that one of them died yesterday," said Iyus, the mining coordinator.
