At least 15 people perished and three others were injured in the collapse of an illicit gold mine in Indonesia's West Sumatra province, triggered by a landslide induced by heavy rains, an official disclosed on Friday. Rescuers are in a race against time to locate seven individuals still unaccounted for.
Small-scale and illegal mining operations frequently result in accidents in Indonesia, where mineral resources are situated in remote areas, making it challenging for authorities to enforce regulations. The illegal gold mine in the Solok district caved in on Thursday evening as a result of a landslide caused by torrential rain, according to Irwan Efendi, the head of the provincial disaster agency.
Rescuers must undertake an arduous eight-hour trek to reach the site, which is inaccessible by road, Irwan informed Reuters. He added, "The victims are local residents who manually extract gold." Irwan estimated that approximately 25 people were in the mine at the time of the incident, with 15 confirmed dead, three injured, and seven still missing. Police and military personnel initiated a search operation early on Friday to locate the missing individuals and began the process of evacuating the deceased.
