Indonesian rescuers resumed their search on Tuesday for 45 people still missing after a landslide at an illegal gold mine on Sulawesi island. The disaster, triggered by torrential rain on Sunday morning in Suwawa district, Gorontalo province, has already claimed at least 17 lives. The landslide engulfed miners and nearby residents.
Salama, an official at Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, confirmed that rescue operations were temporarily halted on Monday due to heavy rain but restarted on Tuesday. Nearly 400 people, including a helicopter crew, are involved in the rescue efforts. Despite the challenging conditions, which include thick mud and difficult terrain requiring rescuers to walk over 20 kilometers to the site, 52 people have been found alive.
Indonesia frequently faces landslides, often heightened by deforestation and unregulated small-scale illegal mining operations. Earlier this year, flash floods and mudslides in West Sumatra province killed over 50 people in May, and a high-intensity rain-induced landslide in South Sulawesi in April killed at least 18 people.
Melissa Enoch
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