(Indonesia, 16th) A landslide occurred near an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, with rescue teams having found nine bodies.
Susmelawati Rosya, a police officer from West Sumatra province, said that a cliff near a mining area in Sijunjung regency collapsed on Thursday (May 14), burying a group of miners who were only three meters away from the collapse site at the time.
Agence France-Presse quoted Susmelawati as saying: "It was an illegal gold mine. When the cliff collapsed, nine people died, and three others managed to escape."
Police and volunteers immediately launched a rescue operation, using heavy machinery to recover the victims' bodies.
Police and volunteers immediately launched a rescue operation, using heavy machinery to recover the victims' bodies.
Illegal mines are very common in resource-rich Indonesia. Abandoned mines attract local people, who often do not wear any safety protection while scavenging for leftover gold ore. Due to landslides, mining accidents are frequent in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season.
Susmelawati said: "We will launch an investigation. Of course, the mine will be shut down; a police cordon has already been set up." She added that all the victims' identities have been confirmed.
According to records from the local environmental group WALHI, since 2012, at least 48 people have died in illegal gold mine accidents in West Sumatra province alone.
Susmelawati said: "We will launch an investigation. Of course, the mine will be shut down; a police cordon has already been set up." She added that all the victims' identities have been confirmed.
According to records from the local environmental group WALHI, since 2012, at least 48 people have died in illegal gold mine accidents in West Sumatra province alone.
The organization accused on Friday: "A landslide at an illegal gold mine in Sijunjung regency has caused deaths once again, exposing the government's failure to protect citizens from the destructive and deadly impact of illegal mining."
Last year, a rockfall at a limestone quarry in Cirebon, West Java province, killed at least 18 people.
In 2024, a landslide near an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s central Sulawesi island killed at least 23 people.