1st LD Writethru: 12 feared dead after mine collapses in Indonesia

At least 12 miners are feared dead after an illegal gold mine collapsed in Indonesia's West Java province on Tuesday night, local police said on Wednesday.

Lack of safety was blamed for the incident in Pongor mountainous area of Bantar Karet village in Bogor district, said Udjwala Prana Sigit, head of provincial Public Order Police.

"They could have been dead, as the collapse stopped oxygen supply," he told Xinhua via phone from the province.

Sigit said the miners were buried in the depth of 10 to 30 meters.

"They had worked with lack of safety standard," he said.

The local administration closed the mine one month ago, but the miners reopened it illegally, Sigit said.

Evacuation is underway, involving police and volunteers, he said. Enditem