At least one person has been killed and 19 are missing after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at a small-scale gold mine, officials have said
Rescue teams in Indonesia are searching for 19 people still missing after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at a small-scale gold mine in the eastern province of Papua, officials confirmed on Monday.
The landslide occurred late Friday in the Arfak mountains of West Papua province, caused by torrential rain. The mine, which is operated by local residents, was struck by the landslide, damaging temporary shelters used by the miners. At least one person was killed and four others were injured. The fate of the remaining 19 individuals is still uncertain.
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, confirmed the casualties and reported that at least 40 rescuers, including police and military personnel, have been deployed to the site.
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The operation faced significant challenges, as it took rescue teams over 12 hours to reach the affected area due to damaged roads, difficult terrain and ongoing poor weather conditions, according to Yefri Sabaruddin, head of the local rescue team. “The damaged roads and mountainous tracks, along with the bad weather, have hampered the rescue efforts,” he said, adding that the number of casualties could rise.
Small-scale and illegal mining operations in Indonesia have frequently led to accidents, as these sites are often located in remote areas, making it difficult for authorities to regulate them effectively.
This tragedy follows a series of similar incidents in Indonesia. In September of last year, a landslide at an illegal gold mine in West Sumatra province killed at least 15 people. Another landslide at a gold mine on Sulawesi island in July claimed at least 23 lives.
Last year, more than 100 people were killed in a landslide that buried a village in a remote, mountainous part of Papua New Guinea.
An emergency response is underway, the South Pacific island nation’s leader and news media said. The landslide reportedly hit Kaokalam village in Enga province, about 370 miles north-west of the capital, Port Moresby, at roughly 3am, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Videos on social media showed residents pulling out bodies buried under rocks and trees.
Elizabeth Laruma, who runs a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera Gold Mine, said houses were flattened when the side of a mountain gave way.
“It has occurred when people were still asleep in the early hours, and the entire village has gone down,” Laruma told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”
The landslide blocked the road between Porgera and the village, she said, raising concerns about the town’s supply of fuel and goods.
Village resident Ninga Role, who was away when the landslide struck, expects that at least four of his relatives died.
“There are some huge stones and plants, trees. The buildings collapsed,” Role said. “These things are making it hard to find the bodies.”
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