Freeport Mine Landslide Evacuation Completed; 7 Workers Confirmed Dead

October 6, 2025 | 08:14 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) has announced the completion of the evacuation process following the underground landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave mine. The operation was declared complete after the rescue team located and recovered five workers on Sunday, October 5, 2025. Two workers, Wigih Hartono and Irawan, had previously been found dead on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

The five newly evacuated workers were also found lifeless. They are: Zaverius Magai, Holong Gembira Silaban, and Dadang Hermanto (all from PT Redpath Indonesia); Balisang Telile, a South African citizen (PT Redpath Indonesia); and Victor Bastida Ballesteros, a citizen of the Republic of Chile (PT Redpath Indonesia).

The bodies will be flown to Jakarta and then sent to their respective hometowns, with the exception of Zaverius Magai, who will be buried in Kuala Kencana, Timika.

President Director of Freeport Indonesia, Tony Wenas, expressed his condolences for the loss. "They were friends and part of the Freeport Indonesia family. This loss brings deep sorrow to all of us," Tony said in an official statement on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Tony commended the rescue team for carrying out the evacuation process over 27 days. He explained that the rescue took a long time due to the difficult location and the massive volume of wet material, which reached an estimated 800,000 tons. Tony also ensured that the investigation process to determine the cause of the incident would continue thoroughly and transparently.

The landslide at PT Freeport Indonesia's Grasberg Block Cave underground mine occurred on Monday night, September 8, 2025, around 22:00 WIT (Eastern Indonesia Time). Vice President Corporate Communications of PT Freeport Indonesia, Katri Krisnati, explained that a large amount of material flowed from one of the production intake points in one of the five underground mine blocks. This event closed off access to certain areas and limited evacuation routes for the seven contractor workers.

The incident caused the seven workers to be trapped in the mine area. "The location of the trapped workers was identified, and they were believed to be safe. Our team is working to open access so that the evacuation process can be carried out quickly and safely," Katri said in a written statement on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Alfitria Nefi P contributed to the report.

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