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Death Toll From Coal Mine Blast Rises to 32
Nurfika Osman | June 18, 2009

Rescue workers have been battling around the clock to find survivors from a coal mine explosion in West Sumatra. (Photo: Fadil, Antara) Rescue workers have been battling around the clock to find survivors from a coal mine explosion in West Sumatra. (Photo: Fadil, Antara)
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The death toll from a methane gas explosion at a coal mine in West Sumatra climbed to 32 on Wednesday, as rescue crews worked into the night to reach one miner who remained trapped underground and was feared dead, officials said.

It is unknown whether any of the 32 confirmed victims had initially survived the blast on Tuesday morning.

“Thirty two people died in the coal mine explosion and a miner is still underground,” said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Ministry of Health’s Crisis Center in Jakarta. “[Of the] nine people injured, three have been sent home.”

At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, an explosion shook the 150-meter-deep mine in Sawahlunto district while dozens of miners were working inside.

Amran Nur, the mayor of Sawahlunto, said on Tuesday that the district government had warned the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in December 2008 about the risks of a methane explosion but was ignored.

Rescue workers have been battling around the clock since the blast to find survivors and retrieve the bodies of miners buried after the explosion.

The mine was once an illegal operation, but several years ago mining company PT Dasrat hired the illegal workers and had the site declared legal.

Priagung Rahmanto, an analyst at the Reforminer Institute, said that the company bore the most responsibility for the blast.

“The owner should be the main party responsible for the accident,” Priagung said. “The blast must have happened because there were incorrect procedures and safety measures in place.”

He also said that while the level of methane gas at the site was high, the incident would not have occurred if appropriate measures had been taken.

The state-run Antara news agency reported that social security company PT Jamsostek was ready to provide financial assistance to the families of any victims who had participated in the company’s workers’ insurance scheme, quoting Jamsostek official Mas’ud Muhammad.