After 27 days of operations, a rescue team of PT Freeport Indonesia, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mimika Police, National Seach and Rescue Agency, and local Disaster Mitigation Agency located and evacuated five workers from the site of the wet material slide incident at the Grasberg Underground Mine on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

With this discovery, all seven workers impacted by the incident on September 8, 2025, have been found, and the rescue operation has officially concluded. Earlier, on Saturday, September 20, 2025, two workers had already been found.

The identification, conducted by medical teams in cooperation with the police, confirmed the following workers were located during the final stage of the rescue operation:

1. Zaverius Magai, PT Redpath Indonesia

2. Holong Gembira Silaban, PT Redpath Indonesia

3. Dadang Hermanto, PT Redpath Indonesia

4. Balisang Telile, South African national, PT Redpath Indonesia

5. Victor Bastida Ballesteros, Chilean national, PT Redpath Indonesia

The remains will be transported to Jakarta and later sent to their respective hometowns, except for Zaverius Magai’s remains, which will be buried in Kuala Kencana, Timika.

PT Freeport Indonesia’s President Director, Tony Wenas, expressed sorrow over the loss.

“They were friends and part of the Freeport Indonesia family. This loss is deeply felt by all of us. On behalf of the company, I extend my condolences to the families, who have been in Tembagapura since September 14, 2025. May God Almighty grant strength and patience to us all,” Tony said as quoted in a statement on Monday, October 6, 2025.

“I appreciate the rescue team who worked tirelessly, day and night, under extremely challenging conditions. The rescue took a long time due to the difficult location and the volume of wet material, which reached approximately 800,000 tons. Thanks to all parties who provided support, effort, and prayers,” he added.

He said further that PT Freeport Indonesia assures full support for the families of the deceased workers, ensuring respectful handling of the remains.

The investigation to determine the cause of the incident will continue and its results will be used as the basis for the company to implement preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.