Man dies at illegal sand mine in Tangerang
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Tue, 07/13/2010 9:15 PM
A man died after he and two others were buried in a landslide at an illegal site not far from their home in Cisoka district, Tangerang on Monday.
The victim, identified as Mastar, 35, was digging the sand along with his two neighbors, Jasman, 30 and Masir, 34, Cisoka Police chief Insp. Panut said Tuesday
“Mastar and his two friends were buried shortly after the sand wall they were digging suddenly collapsed. Unlike Jasman and Masir, Mastar failed to escape,” Panut said.
The remains of Mastar were evacuated from the site this morning and taken to Tangerang General Hospital for a post mortem examination, he said.
Panut added that similar incidents had occurred on several occasions. However, police could not prevent local residents from mining sand because this authority rested in the hands of Public Order officers.
In 2005 the Tangerang administration issued a bylaw, banning residents from illegal sand mining. Since then, the administration has placed a moratorium on the issuance of new sand mining permits.
