A landslide at an illegal gold mine in western Indonesia killed at least 15 people and buried dozens more in the abandoned hole, with rescue crews battling to find the missing, authorities said on Friday (September 27).
Unauthorized mines abound throughout the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract residents looking for remaining gold metal without necessary safety equipment.
The landslide struck a remote region in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island on Thursday evening, following heavy rains, local disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Ilham Wahab told AFP.
“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,” he said.
Ilhan claimed that 15 people were killed and three were injured, with rescuers looking for 25 more.
AFP footage showed rescuers transferring one of the deceased into an ambulance near the catastrophe site in Solok.
The avalanche occurred within an abandoned “illegal” mine, according to an announcement released to AFP by the Solok district disaster office.
“The landslide location is on an old mining pit that had been abandoned by previous miners,” according to the statement.
Ilham stated that all activities at the site had been paused while searching for the missing kept ongoing.