JAKARTA, Indonesia: A landslide at a gold mine in West Sumatra, Indonesia, has claimed at least 15 lives, with dozens still missing, according to the local disaster mitigation agency.
The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, struck the remote site on Thursday evening. Provincial disaster agency spokesperson Ilham Wahab stated that efforts to search for survivors are ongoing, although the challenging terrain and the site’s remote location have hindered rescue operations.
Three people were injured, while 25 others remain unaccounted for. Rescue teams, including police officers, soldiers, and civilians, are walking for hours from the nearest village to reach the site. It remains unclear whether the mine was operating illegally, but all activities have been halted as the search continues.
Landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which typically lasts from November to April. Many unlicensed mines in the region lack proper safety protocols, attracting locals searching for leftover gold ore. This incident follows several others in recent months, including a July landslide near an illegal mine in Sulawesi that killed 27 people, and another in May that claimed 15 lives in South Sulawesi due to floods and landslides.
