15 dead, dozens missing after landslide at illegal Indonesia mine

By AFP
September 28, 2024
Search and rescue members return from the site of a landslide that killed at least 15 people as search and rescue operations continue at an illegal gold mining site in Solok, West Sumatra on September 28, 2024. — AFP
Search and rescue members return from the site of a landslide that killed at least 15 people as search and rescue operations continue at an illegal gold mining site in Solok, West Sumatra on September 28, 2024. — AFP 

JAKARTA: A landslide at an illegal gold mine in western Indonesia has killed at least 15 people and buried dozens of others in the abandoned pit with rescue workers struggling to locate the missing, officials said on Friday.

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.

The landslide hit a remote site in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island on Thursday evening after heavy rains in the area, provincial disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Ilham Wahab told AFP.