Latest news with #YefriSabaruddin
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 23 May
This handout photo taken and released on May 19, 2025 by Indonesia's search and rescue agency (BASARNAS) shows rescuers recovering bodies after hours of heavy rain triggered flooding and a landslide near a gold mine. Photo: AFP PHOTO / INDONESIA SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY (BASARNAS) Indonesia's state news agency Antara has reported 10 people are confirmed dead in the Arfak mountains district of West Papua, following a flash flood and landslide. The head of the Manokwari office of the national search and rescue agency, Yefri Sabaruddin, said the search and rescue operation involved 127 personnel from various organisations. He said local residents and families of victims have also contributed to the search and rescue. As of Wednesday, he said 10 people were still missing. Reuters previously reported the disaster engulfed temporary shelters used by miners. Samoa's Ministry of Finance says its public debt stands at just over 800 million tala (about US$289 million), as at December last year. The Ministry said it issued a press statement to address misinformation being shared. This debt is as at the end of the second quarter of the 2024-25 financial year, which is last December. It consists of 93.4 percent external debt and 6.5 percent domestic debt. The three major external creditors for Samoa include the EXIM Bank of China, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank, with the Unit Trust of Samoa being the only domestic creditor. The ministry said one of Samoa's fiscal rules is the debt to GDP ratio of 50 percent, and as at December the ratio stood at 23.2 per cent. The finance ministry said since 2017, Samoa has not borrowed but rather utilized grants received from all its development partners for its national development. A new partnership between Australia and JCS Enterprise is set to expand cocoa sourcing and market access for Solomon Islands farmers in northeast Guadalcanal. Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Rod Hilton, said this partnership is creating reliable markets for farmers, creating more local jobs, and enabling Solomon Islands cocoa to reach its full export potential. The partnership will help with financing for a vehicle suited to the rough terrain in cocoa-growing areas east of the Bokokimbo River, as well as upgrading JCS's cocoa storage capacity and sourcing operations to improve cocoa quality. As it prepares for the country's 50th anniversary celebrations, the Papua New Guinea Government has revealed plans for what has been dubbed Defence Week - the first week of September. PNG Defence Force personnel have briefed the Prime Minister James Marape on what is planned, with up to 11 foreign defence forces taking part in activities on land, sea, and air. An air show featuring fighter jets, helicopters, and military cargo planes will be held, while there will also be a naval display, and a military tattoo featuring all of the defence contingents. The 50th anniversary events, throughout the month of September, are expected to attract thousands of citizens, dignitaries, and international visitors.
Scoop
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Six Dead After Landslide In West Papua, More Missing
Article – RNZ Authorities will resume their search on Tuesday. RNZ Pacific Six workers in West Papua are dead after a landslide at a gold mine. Reuters reported torrential rains on Monday forced a halt to the search for the 14 still missing after the disaster, which engulfed temporary shelters used by miners. Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said the rains had triggered Friday's landslide, which hit a small mine run by residents of the Arfak mountains. Authorities will resume their search on Tuesday. Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of a team of 40 rescuers, including police and military officials, told Reuters it took 12 hours to travel to the site from the nearest town. He said the search effort was hampered by 'damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather'. Small-scale and illegal mining has often led to accidents in Indonesia, where mineral resources are located in remote areas in conditions difficult for authorities to regulate. Last September, at least 15 people died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Indonesia's province of West Sumatra following a landslide caused by heavy rains. The Turkish Embassy in Jakarta has commented on social media, saying: 'We are deeply saddened to learn that landslide in West Papua Province, boat accident in Bengkulu and explosion at ammunition disposal site in West Java have caused many lives and injuries'. 'We extend our sincere condolences to the brotherly people and the Government of Indonesia.'
Scoop
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Six Dead After Landslide In West Papua, More Missing
Six workers in West Papua are dead after a landslide at a gold mine. Reuters reported torrential rains on Monday forced a halt to the search for the 14 still missing after the disaster, which engulfed temporary shelters used by miners. Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said the rains had triggered Friday's landslide, which hit a small mine run by residents of the Arfak mountains. Authorities will resume their search on Tuesday. Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of a team of 40 rescuers, including police and military officials, told Reuters it took 12 hours to travel to the site from the nearest town. He said the search effort was hampered by "damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather". Small-scale and illegal mining has often led to accidents in Indonesia, where mineral resources are located in remote areas in conditions difficult for authorities to regulate. Last September, at least 15 people died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Indonesia's province of West Sumatra following a landslide caused by heavy rains. The Turkish Embassy in Jakarta has commented on social media, saying: "We are deeply saddened to learn that landslide in West Papua Province, boat accident in Bengkulu and explosion at ammunition disposal site in West Java have caused many lives and injuries". "We extend our sincere condolences to the brotherly people and the Government of Indonesia."
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Six dead after landslide in West Papua, more missing
This handout photo taken and released on May 19, 2025 by Indonesia's search and rescue agency (BASARNAS) shows rescuers recovering bodies after hours of heavy rain triggered flooding and a landslide near a gold mine. Photo: AFP PHOTO / INDONESIA SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY (BASARNAS) Six workers in West Papua are dead after a landslide at a gold mine. Reuters reported torrential rains on Monday forced a halt to the search for the 14 still missing after the disaster, which engulfed temporary shelters used by miners. Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said the rains had triggered Friday's landslide, which hit a small mine run by residents of the Arfak mountains. Authorities will resume their search on Tuesday. Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of a team of 40 rescuers, including police and military officials, told Reuters it took 12 hours to travel to the site from the nearest town. He said the search effort was hampered by "damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather". Small-scale and illegal mining has often led to accidents in Indonesia, where mineral resources are located in remote areas in conditions difficult for authorities to regulate. Last September, at least 15 people died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Indonesia's province of West Sumatra following a landslide caused by heavy rains. The Turkish Embassy in Jakarta has commented on social media, saying: "We are deeply saddened to learn that landslide in West Papua Province, boat accident in Bengkulu and explosion at ammunition disposal site in West Java have caused many lives and injuries". "We extend our sincere condolences to the brotherly people and the Government of Indonesia."
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Rains halt search for gold miners after deadly Indonesian landslide
Torrential rains have forced Indonesian rescuers to suspend their efforts to find 14 missing gold miners after a landslide in the remote east of the country killed six of their colleagues. Officials reported on Monday that the weather and difficult terrain were hindering the search for the workers in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua. Torrential rain triggered a landslide and floods late on Friday near a small mine run by residents in the Arfak Mountains in West Papua province, Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for the National Agency for Disaster Management, told the Reuters news agency. The storm swept away temporary shelters used by the miners, killing at least six people and injuring four, he reported. 'The floodwaters from upstream hit a temporary housing area of traditional gold miners at around 9:00 pm (1200 GMT),' Muhari said in a statement. The search to locate the missing miners has been hampered by 'damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather,' said Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of a team of 40 rescuers, including police and military officials. He noted that it took 12 hours to travel to the site from the nearest town. Authorities said they plan to resume their search for the missing on Tuesday. Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago nation, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment. That leaves them open to accidents as operations located in remote areas and in difficult conditions make it hard for the authorities to regulate them. There was no official indication of the mine's legal status. Sabaruddin stressed that the focus is on evacuating victims. Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically from November to April. A landslide caused by heavy rains at an illegal gold mine in West Sumatra in September killed 13 people and injured 12. In July, at least 27 people were killed in a landslide near an illegal gold mine on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
