At least 12 people have died and 18 are missing after a torrential rain caused a landslide in an illegal gold mine over the weekend in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, officials said on Monday.
Kabul 24: The landslide occurred on Sunday morning in Suwawa district, Gorontalo province, killing miners and residents living near the unauthorized mine, said Heriyanto, head of the local rescue agency (Basarnas).
Five survivors have been evacuated, and a rescue team is searching for the 18 missing people.“We have deployed 164 personnel, consisting of the national rescue team, police and military personnel, to search for the missing people,” Heriyanto said.
However, rescuers must walk about 20 km to reach the landslide site and are being hampered by thick mud over the road and continuing rain in the area.Indonesia’s disaster agency (BNPB) stated that the landslide has damaged several houses and one bridge.
BNPB also warned residents that rain is still expected in some areas in Gorontalo province on Monday and Tuesday and urged people to be alert in case there’s a further disaster.
Photos of the affected village shared by the agency showed some houses were flattened by the landslide.
