Jakarta. Three gemstone miners have been found dead in a cave on Nias, an island off the west coast of Sumatra, most likely from inhaling deadly fumes emitted from a diesel generator, police say.

The miners, who died near Ampolu village in North Nias on Tuesday, have been identified as Fo Arota Gea, 32, Iwan, 22, and Supriadi, 37.

“The victims died of poisoning by the fumes emitted from the machine they brought inside the cave,” Enand H. Daulay, chief detective of Nias Police, told Detik.com on Wednesday.

Torang M. Hutahean, the head of search and rescue operations for Nias province, offered a similar explanation.

“They were already dead when discovered, most likely because of the fumes from the diesel generator,” he said, adding that the machine was found next to the victims’ bodies.

Villagers said the men had been working in the cave, where air circulation was limited, since Monday night. The miners were using the diesel generator to power a water pump.

Police said the miners managed to get a block of gemstones before they were found.

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Source: The Jakarta Globe