 "Search and rescue members return from the site of a landslide as search and rescue operations continue at an illegal gold mining site in Solok, West Sumatra. AFP")
The death toll in a landslide at an illegal mine in Indonesia has been revised down to 11, with miscounting linked to the remote location, a local disaster agency official said Saturday.
The landslide hit a remote site in West Sumatra province on Sumatra island Thursday evening after heavy rains in the area, with rescue workers struggling to locate the dead and injured.
Search efforts were being hindered by the remote location, with rescuers including police officers, soldiers and civilians having to walk for hours from the nearest village to reach the area.
“The number declined, from 15 people dead to 11,” Irwan Effendy, disaster agency official in West Sumatra’s Solok district, told AFP.
No-one remains missing, Irwan said a day after officials reported 25 people unaccounted for.
“Due to the remote location of the landslide, which requires a 4-6 hour walk, and the lack of communication networks, there was a mismatched number of victims.”
He told AFP that 13 people were also found injured after the landslide at an “illegal” mine.
Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April, but some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years.