A collapse occurred in an illegal gold mine in Indonesia due to heavy rains: 11 people died, 19 people went missing.

In a landslide caused by heavy rains in an illegal gold mine on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, at least 11 people have died and 19 people are missing.

Illegal mines are common in the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, and gold ore is being searched for in these abandoned areas without any safety measures.

11 PEOPLE HAVE DIED

A landslide occurred in a gold mine in the Bone Bolango region of Gorontalo province after heavy rains. At least 11 people have died and more than a dozen people are missing.

The head of the local search and rescue agency, Heriyanto, said, "The bodies of eight people have been recovered. Five people have been rescued injured, some lightly and some seriously," He also added that the bodies of three people have not yet been recovered and 19 people are still missing.

BRIDGE COLLAPSES HAVE MADE RESCUE EFFORTS DIFFICULT

Many bridges on the way to the region collapsed, and rescue teams had to reach the disaster area on foot due to difficult terrain. At least 180 people, including police officers and soldiers, were involved in the rescue operation.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season between November and April. However, July is usually the dry season and heavy rains are rare.

In May, landslides and floods in South Sulawesi province resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people, dozens of houses were destroyed, and roads were damaged. In another landslide in the same province a month ago, 20 people died.