Indonesian rescue teams are engaged in a desperate search for 19 individuals who remain missing following a significant landslide at a gold mine in the easternmost region of Papua.Â
The disaster, triggered by days of torrential rainfall, struck late on Friday in the Arfak mountains of West Papua province.
According to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, the landslide engulfed temporary shelters utilised by the local miners. Tragically, the incident has already claimed at least one life and left four others injured.
“The heavy downpour caused the ground to give way, directly impacting the area where the miners had set up temporary living quarters,” Muhari stated in a press briefing earlier today.
Authorities have mobilised a team of at least 40 rescuers, comprising police and military personnel, to comb through the affected area.Â
The challenging terrain of the Arfak mountains and the potential for further instability due to the persistent wet conditions are complicating the search efforts.
The gold mine in question is described as a small-scale operation run by residents.
The rescuers started the search operation only on Sunday because it took at least 12 hours for teams to travel to the site, Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of the local rescue team, told Reuters on Monday.
“The damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather hampered the rescue efforts,” Yefri said.
The number of casualties could rise, he added.
At least 15 people died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in West Sumatra province in September last year after a landslide caused by heavy rains.
Another landslide in a gold mine on Sulawesi island killed at least 23 people in July last year.
