Rescuers Risk Life in Narrow Tunnels

KOMPAS/HARRY SUSILO

Rescuers carry the body of a miner from an illegal gold mine that was buried by a landslide in Bakan village, Loyalan district, Bolaang Mongondow regency, North Sulawesi, on Thursday, Feb. 28. As of Thursday afternoon, 19 miners had been rescued, while the bodies of eight deceased miners had been recovered.

Mahyudin Laiya, 30, wiped off sweat and blood the second he emerged from a narrow tunnel that he had crawled into. He was gasping for air. Along with three other members of the Search and Rescue (SAR) team, he had just rescued a miner whose leg had been trapped under a rock

The Gorontalo Search and Rescue (SAR) officer had to amputate miner Teddy Mokodompit’s left leg to get him out of the tunnel. Teddy and his family requested the amputation so he could be rescued.

“When we had to cut his leg, all members of the team in the tunnel cried,” the father of two told Kompas on Thursday (2/28/2019) in Bakan village, Lolayan district, Bolaang Mongondow regency, North Sulawesi, at the site of the illegal gold mine that had collapsed during the landslide on Tuesday evening.

In order to reach Teddy, Mahyudin and three other SAR personnel had to crawl 12 meters into the tunnel. The tunnel did not have fresh air, so they had trouble breathing properly. The tunnel’s ceiling often shook, dislodging earth and gravel that fell on them.

“We were worried that another landslide might occur while we were inside,” said Mahyudin, who has paramedic training and has experience performing amputations on disaster victims.

Teddy weakened after he was rescued from the tunnel at 2:40 p.m. Central Indonesia Time (WIT). Medical personnel gave him emergency treatment, including respiratory assistance. However, they could not save Teddy. Mahyudin and the other SAR officers could only hang their heads in defeat.

“The team tried everything. [Teddy’s] chances were 50-50 from the beginning. It was either to let him lay there, trapped under a rock, or amputate his leg. Both are equally risky. Amputating his leg was the last resort, in the hope that we could rescue him and take him to a hospital,” Second Sgt. Sirwan of the rescue and recovery team said outside the mine site.

Teddy’s leg had been trapped under a rock and he had been partially buried when a landslide struck the illegal gold mine in Bakan village at 9:10 p.m. WIT on Tuesday (2/26). It was believed that 60 miners, including Teddy, had been inside the mine when the disaster occurred.

By Thursday evening, 27 miners had been rescued, eight of whom later died. The other 19 survived with injuries. The SAR team comprised personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Bolaang Mongondow Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian Military (TNI), the police

and the disaster response team of gold miner PT Jaya Resources Bolaang Mongondow (JRBM). The illegal mine is located within JRBM’s concession area, which borders a forest.

Difficulty breathing

To rescue the miners, members of the SAR team risked their own lives. They faced the risk of further collapse due to the unstable earth and rocks, which were highly susceptible to any movement.

Knowing the huge risks involved, Mahyudin called his wife and asked her to pray before going inside the mine. Mahyudin had trouble breathing in the mine, and he used a small bottle of portable oxygen to help him breathe.

Dwi Oktavianus from the Manado Search and Rescue (SAR) Agency faced similar risks. He prayed for safety during his time in the mine. “If another landslide occurred, we would have been buried [alive],” he said.

Apart from the unstable structure, the mouth of the mine is located in a steep cliff 1,000 meters above sea level, where a ridge had collapsed and buried the miners as three levels.

A cave-like opening 1 meter wide, which could only accommodate one person at a time, was the only way in. Inside, the tunnel network branched multiple times, both vertically and horizontally. Some of the tunnels were large.

“Due to the porousness of the soil, the area is prone to landslides. [We found] victims buried at every level. [SAR] personnel had to be very careful, as we were in a high-risk situation,” said Abdul Muin, the head of disaster response at BPBD Bolaang Mongondow.

Dangerous operation

The miners were often trapped under rocks and earth, posed another problem. Some miners were found with their feet, torso, head or other parts of their body buried. Shifting the rock or earth could cause another landslide that could bury the rescuers. “Inside, we found many bodies buried under [collapsed tunnels]. We prioritized rescuing those who were still alive and under the least risk,” said Mahyudin.

Maskam Mamonto, 40, a Bakan villager who once worked at the mine, said the mine was extremely dangerous. “When I worked there, there was a 15-meter tunnel. In my experience, around 100 miners could be in the tunnel [at one time]. There is only one way out, and it is very narrow,” he said.

Maskam had worked at the illegal mine for five months from July to November 2018. He then quit and returned to planting cacao.