Indonesian rescuers today resumed the search for 45 people still missing after a landslide at an illegal gold mine on the island of Sulawesi killed at least 17 people, an Indonesian government official said.
Heavy rains caused disaster on Sunday morning in Suwawa area of Gorontalo province, where miners and nearby residents were buried by landslides. Salama, a search and rescue official in Indonesia, said by telephone that rescue operations had begun today after being temporarily suspended yesterday due to heavy rain.
Nearly 400 people participated in the rescue operation, with the help of a helicopter, said Salama, who uses the same name. So far, 52 people have been found alive, although heavy mud limited the work and some rescuers walked more than 20 kilometers to reach the disaster site, he said.
Indonesia is often depressed, where risks are heightened by illegal logging and small-scale mining activities in remote areas that are difficult for authorities to regulate. In May, floods and mudslides following heavy rains killed more than 50 people in Indonesia’s western Sumatra province.
In April, a heavy rainstorm in South Sulawesi killed at least 18 people.
