At least four people were killed and 40 more are still trapped underground, according to rescuers, after a gold mine collapsed in the Bolaang Mongondow District of North Sulawesi on Tuesday evening.
“18 victims have been evacuated; four of them died while 14 survived,” said Abdul Muin Paputungan, head of the district’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), amid continued rescue efforts this afternoon, as quoted by Detik.
According to reports, dozens of the mine’s workers — who were operating illegally without a permit — were mining for gold at around 11 pm local time yesterday when beams and supporting boards broke due to unstable soil conditions, triggering a landslide at the site.
A video uploaded by National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho this afternoon — at a time when three were confirmed dead — shows rescuers carrying a body bag out from the site.
Hingga 27/2/2019 pukul 14.30 WITA, dampak longsor penambangan emas tanpa ijin di Bolaang Mongondow, Sulut: 17 korban berhasil dievakuasi dimana 3 orang meninggal dan 14 orang selamat. Diperkirakan 43 orang masih tertimbun longsor. Evakuasi terus dilakukan oleh tim SAR gabungan. pic.twitter.com/pkxwCYhHC1
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) February 27, 2019
Authorities have not yet said say how likely it is that those who are still buried will be able to make it out alive, but rescuers say they’re still optimistic because they can still hear the trapped miners calling for help. However, rescue efforts may take longer than hoped as heavy machinery can’t be used in the steep and slippery terrain at the site.
Mineral-rich Indonesia has scores of unlicensed mining sites and safety regulations are routinely flouted. In fact, this isn’t event the first incident involving an illegal mine in Bolaang Mongondow — five miners were killed in another gold mine accident there in December.
Environmentalists called on local officials to enforce regulations and safety measures in response to the accident.
“We predicted this was going to happen,” said Theo Runtuwene, a local director for the Indonesian Forum for the Environment.
“The area is mountainous and (miners) dug holes there, which is extremely risky… There are dozens of sites in North Sulawesi where the ground is very unstable, especially during the rainy season,” he added.
In 2016, 11 miners died after a mudslide engulfed an illegal gold mine in Sumatra’s Jambi province.
A year before, 12 people were killed when a shaft collapsed after they tunnelled into a disused gold mine on Java island.
With additional reporting by AFP
