Landslide triggered by rain leaves 12 dead and 2 missing at an illegal gold mine in Indonesia

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Landslide triggered by rain leaves 12 ***** and 2 missing at an ******** gold mine in Indonesia

SUNGAI ABU, Indonesia (AP) — Mud, rugged terrain and lack of telecommunications hampered rescue efforts Saturday after a landslide set off by torrential rains smashed down into an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, ******** at least 12 people.

Villagers had been digging for grains of gold in the remote village in the Solok district of West Sumatra province when mud plunged down the surrounding hills and ******* them on Thursday.

Several people managed to escape and some were pulled out by rescuers, said local search and rescue agency chief Abdul Malik. Eleven people were injured.

Malik said rescuers recovered 12 bodies, revising an earlier ****** toll of 15 after officials discovered that lack of communications and the remoteness of the village had affected the counting of the victims. Two other people are believed still missing under tons of mud, he said.

Rescuers earlier said the devastated area could only be reached by walking for four hours from the nearest settlement.

“Relief efforts for the ***** and missing were hampered by rugged terrain and blocked roads covered by thick mud and debris,” Malik said, adding that many residents also did not want outsiders, including search and rescue officers, to enter their traditional mining areas.

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 ******.

Landslides, flooding and collapses of tunnels are just some of the hazards facing miners. Much of gold ore processing involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide and workers frequently use little or no protection.

The country’s

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occurred in July when a landslide crashed onto an ******** traditional gold mine in Gorontalo province on Sulawesi island, ******** at least 23 people.

In April 2022 a

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in North Sumatra’s Mandailing Natal district, ******** 12 women.

In February 2019, a makeshift wooden structure in an ******** gold mine in North Sulawesi province

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partly due to shifting soil. More than 40 people were *******.

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Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

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#Landslide #triggered #rain #leaves #***** #missing #******** #gold #Indonesia

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