Twelve people killed and 18 missing after landslide at illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island

Three dozen villagers were searching for gold in a traditional pit mine when the landslide hit and buried them

Rescue workers search for victims of the landslide in Gorontalo province of Indonesia on 7 July 2024 (EPA)

A dozen people were killed after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Sunday.

Five people had been rescued but 18 were still trapped in the mine in the remote Bone Bolango region of Gorontalo province, local authorities said on Monday.

Nearly 35 villagers were searching for grains of gold in a small traditional pit mine when the landslide hit and buried them, Afifuddin Ilahude, a spokesperson for Gorontalo’s search and rescue agency, said.

He said rescue work was “hampered by heavy rain and blocked roads covered with thick mud and debris”.

Indonesia’s disaster management agency said the landslide also damaged several houses and a bridge.

It warned of more rain in Gorontalo province on Monday and Tuesday and urged residents to stay vigilant.

Photo made available by Indonesia’s disaster management agency shows people searching for the landslide victims in Gorontalo on 7 July 2024 (EPA)

“We have deployed 164 personnel from the national rescue team, police and military, to search for the missing people,” Heriyanto, head of the local rescue agency, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

He said rescue workers had to walk 20km to reach the landslide site as the roads were covered in thick mud and the rain wouldn’t relent.

Photo made available by Indonesia’s disaster management agency shows people searching for the landslide victims in Gorontalo on 7 July 2024 (EPA)

“We will try to use an excavator once it’s possible,” Mr Heriyanto, identified by only his first name, said.

In May, flash floods and landslides sparked by torrential rain killed over 50 people in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province.

Additional reporting by agencies.