Fourth coal miner dies

KUCHING: ANOTHER Indonesian worker from the Silantek coal mine in Sri Aman near here, which exploded on Saturday, died last night.

The victim, identified as 27-year-old Acmad Zidin, died because of serious injuries at Sarawak General Hospital (HUS) here at 7pm. He is the fourth victim to have died.

State Health Department director Datuk Dr Zulkifli Jantan, who confirmed Acmad’s death, said the victim had succumbed to severe bodily and head injuries.

“He also suffered complications to his brain,” he said in a text message to the New Straits Times.

He said the Indonesian consulate General here had been informed of the matter, and he would decide on the next course of action, including the arrangement for the remains.

Three foreign workers were killed while 30 others sustained injuries in the 9am explosion at the coal mine.

The victims died due to suffocation following the explosion.

The three victims had been identified as Indonesian worker Kardianto, 38; Tun Tun Min, 36, from Myanmar; and North Korean Pang Ching Nyok, 29.

Fourteen workers were seeking treatment at HUS, two at Borneo Medical Centre and four at Normah Specialist Centre in Kuching.

Four workers were warded at the Sri Aman Hospital near here while the others have been flown out for treatment in hospitals in Kedah, Terengganu, Selangor, Kelantan, Sabah and the Federal Territory.

The Sarawak Department of 
Safety and Health (DOSH) launched an investigation into
the explosion, and deployed a team to check whether there were irregularities in the mine’s operations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.

Department deputy director Ague Adi said the state DOSH would not hesitate to take action against the operator of the coal mine if the mining firm had flouted provisions under the act.

If found guilty of flouting rules in operations, the mine’s operator could be fined up to RM50,000 and jailed for two years.

Ague said investigations showed there were 119 workers at the coal mine during the incident. It had been operating for the past eight years.

A victim of the coal mine blast is taken on board an air force plane for a flight to Kuala Terengganu.