Indonesian official overseeing a grueling rescue at a collapsed Indonesian gold mine says the voices of dozens of trapped miners are no longer being heard as the effort to reach them continued for a fourth day.
Abdul Muin Paputungan said Saturday that rescuers are currently not entering the mine in North Sulawesi’s Bolaang Mongondow district while an excavator and other heavy equipment are working on it.
No one has been saved since Friday when the death toll stood at eight with 20 people rescued. Authorities believe about three dozen miners remain trapped.
Paputungan says, “Since yesterday we have heard no more voices from inside.”
He says, “We still try to save them even though at the moment it seems like a miracle if they can survive.”