Heavy rains caused a landslide at a remote illegal mining site on Thursday evening in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island, where rescue workers had to walk for hours from the nearest village to reach the area.
Provincial disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Ilham Wahab said 13 people were found dead, while 12 others were injured, raising the death toll by two.
"Since all 25 reported victims have been found and evacuated, we decided to close the search and rescue operation," Ilham told AFP.
But he said a public reporting post would remain open for the next seven days to allow families to report any missing relatives to authorities.
Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April, but some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years.
Indonesia landslide death toll revised down to 11: official
Jakarta (AFP) Sept 28, 2024 - The death toll in a landslide at an illegal mine in Indonesia has been revised down to 11, with miscounting linked to the remote location, a local disaster agency official said Saturday.
The landslide hit a remote site in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island Thursday evening after heavy rains in the area, with rescue workers struggling to locate the dead and injured.
Search efforts were being hindered by the remote location, with rescuers including police officers, soldiers and civilians having to walk for hours from the nearest village to reach the area.
"The number declined, from 15 people dead to 11," Irwan Effendy, disaster agency official in West Sumatra's Solok district, told AFP.
No-one remains missing, Irwan said a day after officials reported 25 people unaccounted for.
"Due to the remote location of the landslide, which requires a 4-6 hour walk, and the lack of communication networks, there was a mismatched number of victims."
He told AFP that 13 people were also found injured after the landslide at an "illegal" mine.
Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April, but some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years.
15 dead, 25 missing after landslide at Indonesia mine
Jakarta (AFP) Sept 27, 2024 -
A landslide at a gold mine in western Indonesia has killed at least 15 people and left dozens missing, the local disaster agency said Friday.
The landslide hit a remote site in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island Thursday evening after heavy rains in the area, provincial 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.
Ilham added that three people were injured and 25 were still missing.
Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.
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.
Search efforts were being hindered by the remote location, with rescuers including police officers, soldiers and civilians having to walk for hours from the nearest village to reach the area, he said.
"The location is quite far, the terrain is tough. This has hampered evacuation effort 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, at least 27 people were killed after a landslide struck near an illegal gold mine on the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
In May, at least 15 people died after landslides and flooding in South Sulawesi province swept away dozens of houses and damaged roads.
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