Hanoi (VNA) – At least seven people were killed and three others injured due to landslides and flash floods that struck a gold mine and surrounding areas in Indonesia's Gorontalo province, local authorities reported on July 7.
According to Achril Babyonggo, head of the operational unit of the disaster management and mitigation agency in Bone Bolango district, the incident occurred at midnight at the gold mine located in the locality and seven bodies were found.
The landslides and flash floods hit a camp on the mountain where the mine is situated. There were about 40 miners inside the camp at the time. Some of the miners managed to escape, but the fate of others remains uncertain, Babyonggo said.
In addition to the main camp, two smaller camps on the mountain slope, housing six people, were also swept away by the flash floods, with three people still missing, he said, adding that the mine's remote location has made communication and access challenging.
Heavy rainfall was the cause of the disaster, he said./.
