INCESSANT rains today halted the search for 30 people believed trapped under a landslide that engulfed an unauthorised gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island over the weekend.

More than 100 villagers were digging for grains of gold on Sunday in the remote and hilly village of Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province when tons of mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried their makeshift camps.

The search was suspended yesterday afternoon due to heavy rains and rescuers have not yet been able to locate the missing people.

The National Search and Rescue Agency said that 92 villagers managed to escape from the landslide, several being pulled out by rescuers, while 23 bodies were recovered — including a four-year-old’s.

More than 1,000 personnel, including army troops, have now been deployed in the search.

Informal mining operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood for thousands labouring in conditions that pose a high risk of serious injury or death.

Landslides, flooding and collapses of tunnels are just some of the hazards facing miners.

Much of gold ore processing involves highly toxic mercury and cyanide with workers frequently using little or no protection.

The country’s last major mining-related accident occurred in April 2022, when a landslide crashed into an illegal gold mine in North Sumatra’s Mandailing Natal district, killing 12 women who were looking for gold.

Environmental activists have campaigned for years to shut down such operations across the country, especially on Sulawesi, where the practice has grown.

Mining Advocacy Network lead Muhammad Jamil said many people share the blame for illegal gold mining, from those working on the ground up to officials in the local council and the police.

“This mafia network appears to have helped shield the miners from law enforcement,” he said.