Rescuers in Indonesia try to reach 8 workers trapped in an illegal mining hole

By EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers are trying to save eight miners who have been trapped at an illegal mining area in Indonesia’s main island of Java since late Tuesday evening. The joint search and rescue team is racing time Thursday as they suck water out from the hole using six water pump machines. Previous efforts using smaller pumps failed to lower the water level. The miners entered the almost 200-foot-deep pit Tuesday night. Landslides, flooding and tunnel collapses are some of the other hazards miners face in Indonesia, where small artisanal and often unauthorized mining operations can be found.