Indonesian forces evacuate workers following deadly attack at gold mine

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Indonesian security forces on Sunday continued evacuating workers, including 26 Chinese nationals, from a gold mining site in the Central Papua province following an armed assault that killed two people, local media reported.

The evacuations began after attackers from the armed group known as KKB launched an assault Saturday at the remote mining site, Indonesia’s Antara News Agency reported.

Samuel Tatiratu, adjunct senior commissioner to the Nabire police chief, said 75 people had been evacuated along the Musairo River as of Sunday. Authorities are still working to identify one of the bodies, he said.

The attack follows another incident earlier this month in which KKB militants shot down a small aircraft and killed its pilot and co-pilot.

Central Papua is part of Indonesia’s restive easternmost region, where a separatist insurgency has persisted for decades, with armed groups targeting security forces and civilians.