11 killed in Indonesia gold mine landslide triggered by heavy rains
Heavy rains triggered a landslide at an illegal gold mine on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. At least 11 people have died and 19 are missing.
Citing local authorities, the Associated Press reported this information in a report on Monday (July 8).
About 35 villagers were digging in a small gold mine in Gorontalo province’s remote Hara Bolango district on Sunday (July 7) when a landslide buried them in tons of mud from the surrounding mountains, said Afifuddin Elahude, spokesman for the Gorontalo Province Search and Rescue Agency.
He said rescuers rescued five people alive on Sunday and recovered 11 bodies till Monday. Rescuers are still searching for 19 others who are still missing.
He also said that 164 rescue workers have been deployed to search for the missing. Besides, members of the police and military forces have also started rescue work.
Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said heavy rains since Saturday broke a dam in the area, causing up to 3 meters (10 feet) of flooding in five villages in Har Bolango. About 300 houses were damaged and more than 1,000 people fled the area for safety.
Small-scale gold mining is banned in Indonesia. But these gold mines work freely in rural areas. These mines are built with lack of control and poor infrastructure
