Landslide Kills 12 Women at Illegal Gold Mine
May 01, 22
(IDEX Online) - Twelve women died in a landslide at an illegal gold mine in Indonesia.
They were working two metres underground at an abandoned mine in Mandailing Natal district, North Sumatra, when a cliff collapsed, triggering the landslide on Thursday (28 April). Two women who were above ground at the time survived.
Police chief Marlon Rajagukguk told local media: "The cliff around the mine collapsed and buried the 12 women, killing them all. Now all the bodies of the victims have been returned to their family."
Illegal mining is widespread in the area, 300km south of the provincial capital of Medan and accidents are not uncommon. Six miners died last year when an illegal gold mine collapsed in Parigi Moutong on the island of Sulawesi.
Generic pic of gold mining in Indonesia