Ten workers were killed in West Sumatra after an explosion in a coal mine caused a collapse, a rescue agency official said Friday.

The miners were at a coal mine in Sawah Lunto when the blast buried an estimated 14 people.

The mine "reportedly collapsed due to an explosion caused by methane", local search and rescue agency spokesman Octavianto, said in a statement.

He said 10 bodies were recovered, while four people survived.

The mine was reported to be a licensed operation.

Mining accidents are common across Indonesia, especially at unlicensed abandoned sites where people scrounge for leftover ore without using proper safety equipment.

In September this year, at least seven people died when a landslide hit a mine in Kalimantan.

And in April, 12 miners at an illegal gold mine in North Sumatra province were killed in a landslide.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by AFP

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