Death toll rises to 27 in Indonesia landslide
Last Updated on July 14, 2024 9:10 am
The death toll from a landslide at an illegal gold mine in Indonesia has risen to 27. At least 15 people are still missing in this incident. The landslide occurred in a remote village in Bone Balango district on the country’s island of Sulawesi due to heavy rainfall a week ago.
Rescue officials in the country said on Saturday (July 13) that the end of the rescue operation in the landslide has been announced. However, the death toll may increase as many are still missing.
The head of the local search and rescue agency Herianto told the French news agency AFP, “Search and rescuers have conducted operations for the past seven days, following due process.” Today is the last day of this campaign.
He said, “If there is legal and proper evidence of the missing victims and the Bone Balango government requests, we will conduct the operation again.”
He said the agency had discussed with the families of the missing people before completing the search.
Hundreds of police officers and soldiers were deployed in the village of Bone Balango as part of rescue efforts following the landslide. Rescue operations were severely hampered due to inclement weather and damage to bridges near the landslide area. Rescuers were forced to walk on foot to reach the crash site.
Earlier, a country’s search and rescue official said some miners and people running shops near the mine were among the victims of the mine landslide.
Illegal mining and extraction of mineral resources is rampant throughout Indonesia due to lax government and law enforcement. Accidents often occur in these mines due to lack of safety measures. Indonesia has a high risk of landslides during the rainy season between November and April. However, the country generally experiences dry weather during the month of July and heavy rainfall is rare during this period.
Last May, a landslide in a village in South Sulawesi province killed at least 15 people. In the previous month, 20 people lost their lives in a landslide in a different village in the same province.
Source: The Star