Manado (ANTARA) - A joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team has evacuated the bodies of three traditional gold miners who got trapped in a mine in Tatelu, Dimembe Subdistrict, North Minahasa District, North Sulawesi, after heavy rainfall.
The joint team, which comprised members from the Manado SAR office, Dimembe Police, Dimembe Koramil, the village government, and local miners, worked tirelessly to evacuate the miners, head of the Manado SAR Office, George M. Randang, said.
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The miners were found to be trapped in a water-filled mine, 40 meters below the surface. The challenging conditions, including the debris-filled shaft, significantly hindered rescue efforts.
After a prolonged operation on Monday, the body of one miner was recovered from the mine shaft at 00:55 a.m. WITA, followed by another at 2:22 a.m. WITA. Earlier, the joint SAR team had recovered the body of one miner, Ofke Watulingas, from a nearby mine shaft at 1:20 a.m. WITA on Sunday.
Baca juga: Tim SAR gabungan mencari pemancing hilang di Bendungan Lombok Timur
The three miners—Taufiq Popalo (26), Edwin Kawengian (38), and Watulingas (44)—got trapped after a sudden downpour at 4 p.m. on December 6, 2024, inundated the mine shaft.
Despite fellow miners' attempts to drain the water using pumps, the situation worsened and they reported the incident to Dimembe Police. The police then requested assistance from the SAR team. The team's primary objective was to clear water from the mine shaft to ensure safe evacuation.
