At least six individuals are dead and dozens more remain trapped under the rubble of an illegal gold mine that collapsed in Indonesia, officials said Thursday, as rescuers frantically looked for survivors.
As of Tuesday evening, about 19 miners had been evacuated to safety and rescuers made contact with several miners still buried, raising hopes of more survivors.
But as time passed, rescue operations on the distant site on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi were hampered by steep terrain and unstable soil conditions after a collapse that triggered a landslide.
Indonesia says three people killed and one other 60 buried alive within the collapse of an illegal gold mine
Indonesia says three people killed and one other 60 buried alive within the collapse of an illegal gold mine
Medical staff planned to amputate the leg of one in every of the survivors since it was pinned under a big rock, making it inconceivable to free him without immediate surgery on site.
“We are racing against time,” said local disaster agency official Abdul Muin Papuungan.
“The operation is ongoing, nevertheless it is dangerous… We have heard that at the very least three individuals are asking for help, we try to get them out and supply them with water and food in order that they’ll survive.”
Rescuers have heavy equipment on standby, but to date they’ve been forced to make use of shovels and even their bare hands to remove debris, fearing that a fallacious move could worsen the situation.
“We had to limit the number of rescuers because there were more cracks at the scene… so we are afraid that if there are too many people, the situation will become more dangerous,” Paputungan said.
According to the disaster agency, six people died within the accident, which was brought on by the collapse of support beams at an unlicensed site.
More than 35 people should still be trapped in a mine within the Bolaang Mongondow region of north Sulawesi, where in December about five miners died in an accident at an illegal gold mine.
This mineral-rich Southeast Asian country is home to dozens of unlicensed mining sites, and safety regulations are routinely flouted.
A robust earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale hit the coast of Indonesia
A robust earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale hit the coast of Indonesia
Officials say ground conditions on the mine were unstable as a result of the big variety of holes dug by miners.
In 2016, 11 miners died when a mudslide engulfed an illegal gold mine in Sumatra’s Jambi province.
A 12 months earlier, 12 people died in consequence of the collapse of a shaft resulting in a closed gold mine on the island of Java.
