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Bad weather hampers search operations after Gorontalo landslide
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Water flows amid buildings buried under mud and debris in the aftermath of a landslide on July 8, 2024, following torrential rain in the district of Suwawa in Gorontalo, in this still image obtained from a social media video. (via Reuters/ Deffy Ente)
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ad weather has once again hampered the search for dozens of people who are still missing five days after a landslide hit an illegal mine in Gorontalo on Sulawesi Island.
Torrential rain over the weekend triggered a landslide near a mine in Tulabalo village, Bone Bolango regency, where dozens of people were digging for gold. The unusually heavy rain occurred despite the region being in the peak of the dry season.
More than 1,000 rescuers from various institutions have been deployed in the past five days to rescue miners and villagers living nearby, with 93 people having been found alive so far.
By Wednesday, rescuers found the bodies of 11 more victims, bringing the total death toll to 23.
But torrential rain again battered the Tulobalo village and triggered another smaller landslide near the mine, forcing rescuers to halt rescue operations since Wednesday night for the remaining 29 missing people believed to be buried under the rubble, according to Gorontalo Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas Gorontalo) head of operations Ida Bagus Ngurah Asrama.
“There are concerns over the safety of the rescuers,” Ida said on Wednesday night.
Helicopters used to aid the evacuation process could not land near the collapsed mine because of rain and thick fog.
