A landslide at a gold mine has left at least 15 dead and 25 missing in western Indonesia, a local disaster management official said Friday. “According to the data we obtained on the ground, 15 people died (…) while 25 others are still wanted and three were injured,” said Ilham Wahab, spokesperson for the security agency. disaster management of West Sumatra province.
The landslide, caused by heavy rains, occurred Thursday evening at an isolated site in West Sumatra province on the island of Sumatra, Ilham Wahab added. He could not confirm whether or not the mine in question was clandestine, but said all activities at the site had been halted while efforts to search for the missing people continued.
Clandestine mines, operated without permits, are common in this huge mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract locals who search for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment. On site, search operations are made difficult by the remoteness of the location. Rescuers, including police officers, soldiers and civilians, have to walk for hours from the nearest village to reach the area, the disaster agency spokesperson said.
“The place is quite remote, the terrain is difficult. This has hampered evacuation efforts, but people are helping so that this evacuation process can be carried out quickly,” he said. Indonesia regularly experiences landslides during the rainy season, usually between November and April.
In July, at least 27 people were killed after a landslide near an illegal gold mine on the island of Sulawesi (Celebes), central Indonesia. In May, at least 15 people died after landslides and floods in South Sulawesi province swept away dozens of homes and damaged roads.
