Latest news with #Sumarni
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Frantic moment workers flee deadly landslide at mine with lax safety standards
Dozens of people have been trapped beneath rubble after a natural stone quarry collapsed in a landslide in Indonesia on Friday. At least 14 people have been killed, and many more injured, with up to eight people still missing in the Gunung Kuda quarry in the Cirebon district of West Java. Of the dozen injured workers, five remain in hospital with serious injuries. Police, soldiers, emergency rescue teams, and volunteers have all been frantically digging into the steep limestone cliff, supported by five excavators, local television reports said early on Saturday. Several trucks and excavators were buried in the landslide, and the death toll has continued to rise since the incident occurred. Ten bodies were quickly recovered on Friday afternoon, with another three bodies pulled from the rubble later that night, and a badly injured worker later succumbing to their injuries in hospital, the National Search and Rescue Agency in a statement. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police are questioning six people including the owner of the quarry, local police chief Sumarni said, who uses a single name. 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. He added that he 'didn't have any capacity to stop it' at the time. Mulyadi said on Friday that he had ordered the quarry closed, 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 labour 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. In 2024, a landslide triggered by torrential rains struck an unauthorised gold mining operation on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people. It is unclear at this stage what caused the mine site landslide on Friday. But the local ASEAN Disaster Information Network reported several flooding and landslide incidents in the Cirebon district of West Java due to high coastal tides and prolonged heavy rainfall impacting the stability of soil in the weeks before the mine collapsed. While skies have remained dry during rescue and recovery efforts so far, rainfall is also being considered by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, BNPB. 'It is hoped that in this search operation, safety will be prioritised and attention to the surrounding natural conditions. If it rains for more than an hour, it is advisable to carry out independent evacuation to a safer place for a while,' BNPB said in a statement. Many mines in Indonesia operate on or nearby disaster-prone areas. Of the thousands of mining business permits approved in Indonesia, 783 were connected to disaster-prone areas, according to reports in 2020 from the local Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam). Throughout 2019, the Network recorded seven major mining-related disasters, which killed 35 people and affected 83,722 residents. At that time, a spokesperson for Jatam raised concerns about a number of existing mines near old disaster zones, including a mine operating in East Java, near Mount Tumpang Pitu in Banyuwangi, where a tsunami hit in 1994. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, BNPB, acknowledged at the time that it had not yet created a map which integrated mine permits with data relating to disaster-prone areas, but noted one was in the works. has contacted BNPB for further comment. - With AP, CNN
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Death toll from quarry collapse in Indonesia rises to 17
The victims were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. A dozen survivors were found by rescuers. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved 16 bodies, while one of the survivors died in hospital, said local police chief Sumarni. She said rescuers are searching for eight people still believed to be trapped 'The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain,' said Sumarni who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. She said the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police have been questioning six people, including the owner of the quarry. 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 on Saturday. 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,' Mr Mulyadi said, adding: 'I didn't have any capacity to stop it.' On Friday, Mr Mulyadi said that he had ordered the quarry to be 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 work 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 unauthorised gold mining operation on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Death toll rises to 17 in Indonesia quarry collapse as search continues
The death toll from the collapse of a stone quarry in Indonesia's West Java province has risen to at least 17, with eight people still missing, officials said Saturday. The victims were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. A dozen survivors were found by rescuers. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved 16 bodies, while one of the survivors died in the hospital, said local police chief Sumarni. She said rescuers are searching for eight people still believed to be trapped The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain, said Sumarni who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. She said the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police have been questioning six people, including the owner of the quarry. 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. 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 labour 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.
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Death toll rises to 17 in Indonesia quarry collapse as search continues
CIREBON, Indonesia — The death toll from the collapse of the Gunung Kuda stone quarry in Indonesia's West Java province rose to at least 17 on Saturday, with search teams continuing to look for eight missing workers amid dangerous conditions. The collapse occurred Friday in Cirebon district, trapping workers under rubble and debris at the base of a steep limestone cliff. Emergency responders, assisted by police, soldiers, and local volunteers, recovered 16 bodies from the site, while one of the dozen rescued survivors died later at a hospital, according to local police chief Sumarni. 'The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain,' Sumarni said, adding that efforts were ongoing to locate those still trapped. Authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse, and six individuals, including the quarry owner, have been questioned by police. Footage aired by Indonesian broadcasters showed rescuers using five excavators and digging by hand in difficult terrain as they worked to locate the Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who visited the quarry site in the past before taking office, described it as hazardous and not meeting basic safety standards. 'At that time, I didn't have the authority to shut it down,' he said in an Instagram video posted the collapse, Mulyadi ordered the closure of the Gunung Kuda quarry and four other similar sites across the or illegal extraction operations are common across Indonesia, often offering a fragile source of income for workers while exposing them to significant at such sites are frequent, involving landslides, tunnel collapses, or chemical exposure from toxic substances like mercury and cyanide, frequently used with minimal safety 2024, at least 15 people were killed in an unauthorized gold mine collapse triggered by heavy rains in Sumatra. — Agencies
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Death toll rises to 17 in Indonesia quarry collapse as search continues
Indonesian rescue and a number of ambulances stand by as they continue to search for victims at the site of a collapsed natural stones quarry in Cirebon district, West Java province, Indonesia, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.-- AP Photo/Okri Riyana CIREBON, Indonesia (AP): The death toll from the collapse of a stone quarry in Indonesia's West Java province has risen to at least 17, with eight people still missing, officials said Saturday. The victims were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. A dozen survivors were found by rescuers. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved 16 bodies, while one of the survivors died in the hospital, said local police chief Sumarni. She said rescuers are searching for eight people still believed to be trapped "The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain,' said Sumarni who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. She said the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police have been questioning six people, including the owner of the quarry. 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. 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. - AP -- Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
