INDONESIA, SEPT 29 – Mud, difficult terrain and a lack of telecommunications hampered rescue efforts yesterday after landslides caused by heavy rain hit an unauthorized gold mining operation on Sumatra Island, Indonesia, killing about 12 people.
Villagers were digging for gold in a remote village in Solok district in West Sumatra province when mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried them on Thursday.
Some people managed to escape and some were pulled out by rescuers, said the head of the local search and rescue agency Abdul Malik, while eleven people were injured.
Malik said rescuers found 12 bodies, revising the previous death toll of 15 after officials found that lack of communication and the village’s remote location had affected the casualty count. Two more people are believed to be still missing under the pile of mud, he said.
Rescuers previously said the devastated area could only be reached by a four-hour walk from the nearest settlement.
“Rescue efforts for the dead and missing are hampered by rugged terrain and roads blocked by thick mud and debris,” Malik said, adding that many residents also did not want outsiders, including search and rescue officials, to enter the mining area. their traditional
Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing tenuous livelihoods to thousands of people who work in conditions at high risk of serious injury or death. – AP
