At least 10 killed, a dozen injured in Indonesian limestone quarry collapse
At least 10 people have been killed and a dozen injured in a rockfall at a limestone quarry in Indonesia's West Java province, officials say.
More than two dozen people were trapped in the rubble when the mine in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday morning, local time.
Local police chief Sumarni, who like many Indonesians has one name, said rescuers pulled a dozen injured people from the debris during a gruelling search effort.
Sumarni said police, emergency personnel, soldiers and volunteers were trying to locate any remaining workers.
They were supported by five excavators, but were hampered by unstable soil that risked further slides.
The head of the local disaster agency, Deni Nurcahya, suggested in an interview with the AFP new agency that the death toll could be higher.
"Until now, 13 people have been found dead," he said.
Rescuers decided to halt the evacuation and resume the operation on Saturday morning for fear of another rockfall, Mr Deni said.
Friday's incident was the second time the quarry collapsed.
Parts of the mine collapsed in February but there were no casualties reported.
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said in a video statement on Instagram that he had visited and identified the vulnerability of collapse at the mine before he was elected.
"I saw that C-grade mining was very dangerous, it did not meet the safety standard elements for its workers," he said.
He added that at the time, "I didn't have any capacity to stop it."
On Friday, Mr Dedi said he had taken firm action to close the mine and four other similar mines in West Java considered to be endangering the environment and lives.
"I decided to shut down the pit permanently, not just this pit but also other pits nearby," he told Metro TV.
A video showed rescuers struggling to bring out a body bag from a devastated area.
Mining accidents are common across the mineral-rich South-east Asian archipelago, especially in unlicensed sites where safety protocols are often ignored.
In 2023, eight workers died after being trapped in an illegal gold mine in Central Java.
In July last year at least 23 people died and 35 others were missing when a landslide hit a remote village near an illegal gold mine on the central island of Sulawesi.
AP/AFP
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