Twenty-four miners were trapped underground following an explosion at a coal mine on Sumatra island, an Indonesian government official said today.
Syafriwal, head of the government mining division in Sawahlunto city in West Sumatra, denied an earlier report that the accident was due to a landslide near a mine operated by state coal miner PT Bukit Asam.
"It's not a landslide, but an explosion at an underground mine," said Syafriwal, who uses one name like many Indonesians. He said rescue officials were trying to reach the miners in the Parambahan area of Sawahlunto district.
Earlier, Metro TV reported that about 30 employees were trapped after a landslide near a Bukit Asam mine.
Bukit Asam's production director later said the mine was not owned by the company but was located in an area near its operations. It was not immediately clear who owns the mine.
Another Bukit Asam official said the firm had sent a rescue team to help.
Indonesia has rich mineral resources with many coal and other mines, but often tends to use open-pit mining rather than underground mining.
Reuters