15 Dead, 7 Missing in Indonesia Gold Mine Collapse

At least 15 people have been confirmed dead following the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province.

Heavy rainfall caused a landslide late Thursday, leading to the tragedy. Search and rescue teams are currently looking for seven missing individuals, authorities said on Friday.

The accident occurred in the Solok region, where illegal mining activities are common due to rich mineral resources located in remote areas, which are difficult for the government to regulate.

According to Erwan Afendi, head of the regional disaster management agency, the mine collapsed after torrential rains triggered a landslide.

Afendi explained that the rescue teams faced challenges in reaching the remote site, taking nearly eight hours to arrive due to the lack of accessible roads. "The victims were local residents manually extracting gold," he added.

Around 25 people were believed to be working at the site when the incident occurred. In addition to the 15 fatalities, three individuals were injured, while seven others remain unaccounted for.

Local authorities, including the police and military, have launched a search operation to locate the missing miners.