JAKARTA, Indonesia — A landslide triggered by torrential rains hit an unauthorized gold mine on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, killing at least 11 people, authorities said Monday. Nineteen others are missing.
About 35 villagers were digging in a pit for gold grains at the small traditional gold mine in remote Bone Bolango district of Gorontalo province on Sunday when tonnes of mud poured down the surrounding hills and buried them, said Afifuddin Ilahude, spokesman for the Gorontalo Search and Rescue Agency.
He said rescuers rescued five injured people on Sunday and recovered 11 bodies on Monday. Rescuers were still searching for 19 other missing people, he added.
“Rescue efforts for the dead and missing have been hampered by heavy rains and blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris,” Ilahude said. He added that rescuers were having difficulty evacuating three of the bodies recovered.
National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said torrential rains in the area since Saturday also broke a dam, causing flooding of up to 3 metres in five villages in Bone Bolango. Nearly 300 homes were affected and more than 1,000 people fled to safety.
Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing precarious livelihoods for thousands of people who work in conditions that pose a high risk of serious injury or death.
Landslides, floods and tunnel collapses are just some of the hazards miners face. Much of the gold ore processing involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide, and workers often use little or no protection.
The country’s last major mining accident occurred in April 2022, when a landslide crashed into an illegal traditional gold mine in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra, killing 12 women panning for gold.
In February 2019, a makeshift wooden structure at an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi province collapsed due to ground movement and the large number of mining holes. More than 40 people were buried and died.
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