A landslide in a remote site of Western Sumatra province on Sumatra Island killed at least 15 people and left dozens missing, after heavy rainfall in the area.
While talking to AFP, Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Ilham Wahab said, “The information we can provide was that a landslide occurred at a gold mine last night, causing several people to be buried.Efforts to search for the victims are ongoing.”
Ilham said that three people were injured and 25 were still missing.
The Southeast Asian archipelago is filled with unlicensed mines. Ilham couldn’t confirm whether the site in question was legal or illegal.
He said that all the activities at the site are halted as of now, and the search efforts for the missings are underway.
Ilham could not confirm if the mine in question was illegal but said all activities at the site had been halted as search efforts for the missing were ongoing.
These abandoned sites in the region attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.
Search efforts were delayed due to the remote location, with rescuers—police, soldiers, and civilians—walking hours from the nearest village to reach the site.
“The location is quite far, the terrain is tough. This has hampered evacuation efforts but people are helping so that this evacuation process can be carried out quickly,” he said.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April.
In July, a landslide at an illegal gold mine on Sulawesi Island killed at least 27 people.
Similarly, in May, flooding and landslides in South Sulawesi province left at least 15 dead and swept away dozens of houses and roads.