(Jakarta) Le bilan d’un glissement de terrain près d’une mine d’or illégale dans le centre de l’Indonésie est monté à 23 morts, et 35 personnes sont toujours portées disparues, a indiqué un responsable des services de secours.
Selon le bilan « de [mardi] afternoon […] “23 people died, 66 people survived and 35 people are still being searched for,” Ida Bagus Nyoman Ngurah Asrama, head of the Gorontalo search and rescue agency, told AFP.
The previous report released on Monday stated that 11 people were dead and 35 were missing.
A landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, occurred on Saturday evening in a remote village in Bone Bolango district, Gorontalo province, on the island of Sulawesi (Celebes).
The landslide occurred in a mining area where abandoned gold mines are being operated without authorization.
Seven bodies were evacuated on Tuesday by a National Police helicopter, Mr. Asrama said.
Some of the victims were miners, others were people running food kiosks near the mine, another rescue official said on Monday.
Access to the area is complicated by the collapse of several bridges, forcing rescuers to reach the site on foot.
More than 270 rescuers were deployed to the scene, including police and military personnel.
Landslides occur regularly across the vast archipelago during the rainy season between November and April and the problem has been made worse in some areas by deforestation.
The heavy rainfall that recently fell in central Indonesia and the island of Java is quite unusual for what is considered the dry season.
In May, at least 15 people died after landslides and floods in South Sulawesi province swept away dozens of homes.