Death Toll from Quarry Collapse in Indonesia Rises to 14
At least 14 people were killed after a quarry collapsed the previous day in Indonesia's West Java province, officials said Saturday.
More than two dozen people were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. Rescuers pulled a dozen injured people and 10 bodies from the debris during a grueling search effort.
They retrieved three more bodies late Friday, and another worker died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 14, said the National Search and Rescue Agency in a statement. Five people have been hospitalized with serious injuries.
Local television reports showed emergency personnel, along with police, soldiers and volunteers digging desperately in the quarry in a steep limestone cliff, supported by five excavators, early Saturday.
Authorities said six to eight people are still believed to be trapped, The Associated Press reported.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police have been questioning six people including the owner of the quarry, said local police chief Sumarni.
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said in a video statement on Instagram that he visited the quarry before he was elected in February and considered it dangerous.
'It did not meet the safety standard elements for its workers,' Mulyadi said, adding that at that time, 'I didn't have any capacity to stop it.'
On Friday, Mulyadi said that he had ordered the quarry shut, as well as four other similar sites in West Java.
Illegal or informal resource extraction operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to those who labor in conditions with a high risk of injury or death.
Landslides, flooding and tunnel collapses are just some of the hazards associated with them. Much of the processing of sand, rocks or gold ore also involves the use of highly toxic mercury and cyanide by workers using little or no protection.
Last year, a landslide triggered by torrential rains struck an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
32 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Belarus president travels to China for three-day visit
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will travel to China on Monday for a three-day visit during which he is due to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, his office said. Lukashenko 'will carry out a visit on June 2-4 to the People's Republic of China,' the presidential office was quoted as saying by the state news agency Belta. The Belarusian leader will hold a 'traditional friendly family meeting with the head of the PRC,' it said. The meeting will take place 'first in a 'one-on-one' format and then in an informal setting Alexander Lukashenko and Xi Jinping are planning to discuss the state and perspectives of Belarus-China relations,' it said. Lukashenko, who has ruled ex-Soviet Belarus for more than 30 years, last visited China in December 2023.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
North Korea says military ties with Russia to ensure ‘peace'
North Korea on Monday defended its military cooperation with Russia, saying ties were aimed at 'ensuring peace and stability' in Europe and Asia. The two countries have strengthened military cooperation in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying arms and troops to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, according to South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing the country's intelligence service. A multilateral sanctions monitoring group including South Korea, the United States, Japan and eight other countries on Friday condemned those ties as 'unlawful'. In response, Pyongyang said its cooperation with Moscow was 'aimed at protecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests of the states' as well as 'ensuring peace and stability in the Eurasian region.' The statement by a foreign ministry official described ties with Russia as the 'cream of inter-state relations.' Pyongyang and Moscow, they added, could 'establish a multi-polar world order based on genuine respect for sovereignty, equality and justice.' The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, launched last October, monitors and reports violations of UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, though it operates independently of the UN. Its creation followed Russia's veto of a Security Council resolution that effectively ended the system in place to monitor Pyongyang's compliance with UN sanctions first implemented in 2006 and subsequently strengthened several times. According to the group, Russian-flagged cargo vessels delivered as many as 'nine million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition' in 2024 from North Korea to Russia. In return, 'Russia is believed to have provided North Korea with air defense equipment and anti-aircraft missiles', it said. North Korea in April confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Arab News
15 hours ago
- Arab News
Parvez lifts Bangladesh to 196-6 against Pakistan in third T20I
LAHORE: Parvez Hossain hit a fiery half century to guide Bangladesh to 196-6 in the third and final Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Lahore on Sunday. Parvez smashed four sixes and seven boundaries in his solid 34-ball 66 and shared a 110-run opening stand with Tanzid Hasan (32-ball 42 with three sixes and as many boundaries) after the tourists were sent in to bat. Pakistan lead the series 2-0 after winning by 37 and 57 runs respectively at the same venue. The Parvez-Tanzid stand gave Bangladesh ideal start for their highest T20I total against Pakistan beating the 175-6 they made against them at Pallekele in 2012. Towhid Hridoy, who scored a 18-ball 25 with a six and two boundaries, then added 49 for the third wicket with Litton Das whose 22 came off 18 balls. Fast bowlers Abbas Afridi (2-26) and Hasan Ali (2-38) were the pick of home bowlers.
