The workers' camp was buried under tons of mud: After a landslide, the number of dead at a gold mine in Indonesia has risen to 23. A search for missing people is proving difficult.
Emergency services are searching for dozens of people buried in an illegal gold mine in Indonesia. The death toll has now risen to 23. 66 people have been rescued and 35 people are still missing, said Ida Bagus Nyoman Ngurah Asrama of the Gorontalo Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
The workers' camp in a remote village on the island of Sulawesi was buried under tons of mud and rubble in a landslide on Saturday, which was preceded by heavy rainfall.
Rescue workers struggle with obstacles
The heavy rain also repeatedly hampered the rescue work. “The weather and terrain conditions are the biggest obstacles to the search,” said a spokesman for the rescue teams.
According to reports, more than 270 people were involved in the search and rescue work, including police officers and soldiers. The rescue workers could only reach the accident site on foot because several bridges had collapsed.
Numerous mines are not permitted
Landslides are a frequent occurrence in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season. In May, at least 15 people died in landslides and floods in the province of South Sulawesi. In addition, numerous unlicensed mines are operating in this resource-rich country in Southeast Asia. Locals also mine for gold in abandoned mines without the necessary safety equipment.
On Monday afternoon, the authorities initially reported eleven deaths. The victims were miners and people who had operated stalls near the mine.
