At least 12 female workers were killed and two others injured when a landslide took place in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, local police announced on Friday.
District police chief Reza Chairul told local media that a number of people were digging for gold at an illegal gold mine before the landslide occurred in Bandar Limabung village.
"Suddenly, part of the cliff collapsed, then hit and buried the women," Chairul said, adding that the authorities are still scrutinizing the accident.
"A total of 14 people were buried. Two people survived," he added, affirming that police have evacuated the dead victims and returned them to their families.
Illegal mines are common across the archipelagic country and a number of accidents have occurred in the past years, according to reports.
Last year, six mining workers were killed in a landslide at an unlicensed gold mine in Central Sulawesi province.
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