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Perth Now
2 days 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
7NEWS
3 days ago
- 7NEWS
Death toll rises to 14 after mine collapse, as rescue teams look for missing workers buried under landslide in Indonesia's West Java
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. Hundreds of mine sites linked to disaster areas 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.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
A least 10 dead, several missing after stone quarry collapses in Indonesia
At least 10 people have been killed after a stone quarry collapsed in Indonesia's West Java province, with the country's disaster agency saying search efforts are ongoing to find missing people buried beneath the rubble. The collapse took place early on Friday at Gunung Kuda mining site in Cirebon, West Java. Footage from the scene of the accident shows excavators moving large rocks and emergency workers placing victims in body bags in an ambulance. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to retrieve a body from the devastated area. Another showed people scrambling for safety as thick dust rose from a pile of rocks and soil that had collapsed. Indonesia's National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) said at least 10 people had been killed, but gave no estimate on the number of people missing. It said heavy machinery – including three excavators – were buried and rescue operations would continue throughout Saturday. Rescue teams have already pulled a dozen injured people from the debris during a gruelling search effort, according to Cirebon district police chief, Sumarni, who uses a single name. Sumarni said authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse, adding that the owner and quarry workers have been summoned for questioning. He said police, emergency personnel, soldiers and volunteers – supported by five excavators – are trying to locate any further trapped workers. Rescue efforts are being hampered by unstable soil, risking further slides, he added. On his Instagram account, West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi said the site was 'very dangerous' and did not 'meet safety standards for workers'. The governor added that the mine was opened before he was elected and he 'didn't have any capacity to stop it'. Mulyadi said he has taken action to close the Gunung Kuda mine and four others in West Java considered to be endangering lives and the environment. Illegal mining operations are commonplace across Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to low-wage workers while coming with a high risk of injury or death due to landslides, flooding and tunnel collapses. Much of the processing of sand, rock or gold ore also involves workers using highly toxic materials like mercury and cyanide with little or no protection. In May, torrential rain triggered a landslide and floods near a small mine run by local residents in the Arfak Mountains in Indonesia's West Papua province, killing at least six people. Last year, a landslide also triggered by torrential rain struck an unauthorised gold mining operation on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people.
Gulf Today
24-05-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
5.7 quake damages over 100 houses in Indonesia
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit near the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, damaging more than 100 houses with no reports of casualties. The tremor hit at 02:52 am local time (1952 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 68 kilometres, with the epicentre offshore near Bengkulu province, according to the USGS. The country's meteorological agency gave a higher magnitude of 6.0 with the epicentre at a depth of 84 kilometres, adding that there was no potential for a tsunami. The tremor damaged more than 100 houses and at least six public facilities in the provincial capital of Bengkulu city, Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, or BNPB, said in a press conference on Friday. 'In Bengkulu city, 140 houses were affected (by the quake), eight of which collapsed, meaning (they) cannot be repaired,' Abdul said. In the Central Bengkulu district, two houses were lightly damaged due to the quake, he added. Abdul said no casualties from the quake were reported as of Friday morning. Some locals in Bengkulu were woken up by the jolt and immediately rushed outside. 'During the quake... (my) house's window shook strongly. That was what woke us up,' Erick Catur Nugroho, 36, told AFP. 'We spontaneously (carried) the children outside the house. When outside, all the neighbours that I saw were not in their house, (they were) in front of the doors.' The vast archipelago nation experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. A magnitude-6.2 quake that shook Sulawesi in January 2021 killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless. In 2018, a magnitude-7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi killed more than 2,200 people. And in 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province causing a tsunami. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity of IX in some areas. Agencies
News18
23-05-2025
- General
- News18
Over 100 Houses Damaged As 5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Indonesia's Sumatra
Last Updated: Indonesia often experiences earthquakes because of its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire.' This is a zone where tectonic plates meet. A 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Friday, inflicting damage to over 100 houses. However, there were no reports of casualties. According to United States Geological Survey, the tremors were felt at 02:52 am local time (1952 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 68 kilometers, and the epicenter was near Bengkulu province. The local meteorological agency reported a higher magnitude of 6.0 and showed the epicenter at a depth of 84 kilometers. It also clarified that there were no risks for a tsunami. The earthquake damaged over 100 houses and at least six public buildings in Bengkulu city, the provincial capital, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia's national disaster agency (BNPB), at a press conference on Friday. 'In Bengkulu city, 140 houses were affected (by the quake), eight of which collapsed, meaning (they) cannot be repaired," he said. In the Central Bengkulu district, two houses suffered minor damage in the quake. He informed that there were no casualties as of Friday morning. Indonesia, a large group of islands, often experiences earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire." This is a zone where tectonic plates meet and cause lots of seismic activity, stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean. In January 2021, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Sulawesi, killing over 100 people and leaving thousands without homes. In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Palu in Sulawesi, killing more than 2,200 people. And in 2004, a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit Aceh province, triggering a tsunami that killed over 170,000 people in Indonesia. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 23, 2025, 18:45 IST
