- Heavy rains have triggered landslides in an illegal gold mine in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing at least 11 people.
- Rescue teams have so far managed to rescue 23 people, but around 45 are still missing.
- Unauthorized mining operations are common in Indonesia and pose a high risk of serious injury or death.
At least 11 people have been killed after a landslide caused by torrential rains hit an unauthorized gold mining operation on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, authorities said Monday. Dozens more are reported missing.
About 79 villagers were digging for gold nuggets in the remote Bone Bolango district of Gorontalo province on Sunday when tonnes of mud cascaded down from the surrounding hills, burying their makeshift camp, search and rescue chief Heliyanto said.
Rescuers had evacuated 23 people, including six injured, and recovered 11 bodies, including two women and a four-year-old boy, he said. About 45 more people were still missing.
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“Rescue efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by heavy rains and blocked roads covered with thick mud and debris,” said rescue official Afifuddin Irafdeh.
Rescue workers prepare to head to the scene of a deadly landslide in Sulawesi, Indonesia, on July 8, 2024. (Basarnas via The Associated Press)
Torrential rains that have been lashing the region since Saturday caused levees to burst, causing floodwaters of up to 10 feet in five villages in Bone Bolango, said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. Around 300 homes were damaged and more than 1,000 people fled for safety.
Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing precarious livelihoods for thousands of people who work in conditions that put them at high risk of serious injury or death.
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Landslides, floods and tunnel collapses are just some of the dangers miners face. Much of the processing of gold ore involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide, and workers often use little or no protective gear.
The country’s last major mining-related accident was in April 2022, when a landslide occurred at an illegal traditional gold mine in Mandarin Natal regency, North Sumatra, killing 12 women prospecting for gold.
In February 2019, more than 40 people were buried to death at an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi when a makeshift wooden structure collapsed due to a landslide and multiple mining pits.
