Erosion from floods threatens residential buildings following heavy rain in Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo province, on July 7, 2024. - Photo: AFP/Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Bone Bolango Regency
JAKARTA: Rescuers resumed a search on Tuesday (July 9) for 35 people still missing after a landslide at an illegal gold mine in Gorontalo that killed at least 23 people.
Torrential rain triggered the disaster on Sunday morning in Suwawa district, with the landslide engulfing miners and residents living nearby.
Salama, an official at Gorontalo Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), told Reuters by phone that rescue efforts had restarted on Tuesday after being temporarily halted on Monday due to heavy rain.
Nearly 400 people were involved in the rescue operation, aided by a helicopter, said Salama.
Data from Basarnas national office received by The Jakarta Post shows that so far 66 people had been found alive, though the operation was being hampered by thick mud and with some rescuers having to walk more than 20km to reach the site of the disaster.
Indonesia frequently suffers landslides, with the risk often increased by deforestation and small-scale illegal mining operations in remote districts that are difficult for authorities to regulate.
In May, flash floods and mudslides following heavy rain killed more than 50 people in West Sumatra.
In April, a landslide caused by high-intensity rain in South Sulawesi killed at least 18 people. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
