Landslide at illegal gold mine in Indonesia kills 11; 20 missing

Incident occurred when about 33 villagers were digging for grains of gold in a pit at the small traditional gold mine

Jakarta: A landslide triggered by torrential rains crashed onto an unauthorised gold mining operation on Indonesia‘s Sulawesi island, killing at least 11 people, officials said Monday.

About 33 villagers were digging for grains of gold on Sunday in a pit at the small traditional gold mine in remote Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province when tons of mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried them, said Afifuddin Ilahude, Gorontalo’s Search and Rescue Agency spokesperson.

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He said rescuers saved two injured people on Sunday and had recovered 11 bodies by Monday. Rescuers are still searching for 20 others who were reported missing, he said. Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to thousands who labor in conditions with a high risk of serious injury or death.