15 killed after a landslide struck an illegal gold mine on Indonesia's Sumatra island

The wreckage of a car lies in a village affected by a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Fachri Hamzah)

PADANG, Indonesia — A landslide triggered by torrential rains struck an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people, officials said Friday. Dozens others were reported missing.

Villagers were digging Thursday for grains of gold in the remote Solok district of West Sumatra province when mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried them, said Irwan Effendi, head of the local disaster mitigation agency office.

He said at least 25 people were still buried, and that three people were pulled out alive with injuries by rescuers.

Search efforts in the worst-affected area, near Nagari Sungai Abu village, were hampered by mudslides that covered much of the area, blackouts and lack of telecommunications.

“The devastated mining area can only be reached by walking for four hours from the nearest settlement,” said Ilham Wahab, the agency’s spokesperson.

Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to thousands who labor in conditions with a high risk of serious injury or death.

Landslides, flooding and collapses of tunnels are just some of the hazards facing miners. Much of gold ore processing involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide and workers frequently use little or no protection.

The country’s last major mining-related accident occurred in July when a landslide crashed onto an illegal traditional gold mine in Gorontalo province on Sulawesi island, killing at least 23 people.

In April 2022 a landslide hit another gold mine in North Sumatra’s Mandailing Natal district, killing 12 women.

In February 2019, a makeshift wooden structure in an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi province collapsed partly due to shifting soil. More than 40 people were buried.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.