JAKARTA: A landslide at an unlawful gold mine in western Indonesia has killed at the least 15 individuals and buried dozens of others within the deserted pit with rescuers struggling to find the lacking, officers mentioned on Friday (September 27).
Unlicensed mines are frequent throughout the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, the place deserted websites entice locals attempting to find remaining gold ore with out ample security gear.
The landslide hit a distant website in West Sumatra province on the island of Sumatra on Thursday night after heavy rain within the space, provincial catastrophe mitigation company spokesman Ilham Wahab informed AFP.
“The data we are able to present is {that a} landslide occurred at a gold mine final night time, ensuing within the burial of a number of individuals. Efforts to seek for victims are ongoing,” he mentioned.
Ilhan added that 15 individuals have been killed and three injured, whereas rescuers looked for 25 others.
Footage seen by AFP confirmed rescuers loading one of many useless into an ambulance close to the catastrophe website in Solok district.
The Solok district catastrophe company mentioned in an announcement despatched to AFP that the landslide occurred in an deserted “unlawful” mine.
“The website of the landslide is on an outdated mine shaft that had been deserted by earlier miners,” he mentioned.
Ilham mentioned all actions on the website had been halted because the seek for the lacking was ongoing.
