National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the incident occurred on Monday afternoon at Sei Pumpung village — located roughly one hour by car from the provincial capital of Banjarmasin.

The landslide occurred after the area’s unstable soil, a mix of sand and gravel, was undermined by continuous rainfall since Monday morning.

Seven miners were working on site at the time of the incident, with two in the upper section of the mine and the remaining five in the lower section. Most of the workers were residents of nearby villages.

“The two survivors, identified as Ardi and Ipul, were working in the upper section, while the five killed were working 15 meters below the surface and were buried by debris,” Sutopo said in a statement on Tuesday.

The joint search and rescue team — comprising personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, the military and local police — conducted a rescue operation immediately after the incident.

The operation, hindered by heavy rain, wind and mud, was completed at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The bodies of the dead miners had been handed over to their families to be buried, Sutopo said.

Banjarbaru city has for decades be known for diamond mining, with some mines even becoming tourist attractions, with tourists try their hand at mining diamonds themselves.

Despite its long history of mining, such incidents had occurred several times in the area, claiming many lives of locals, Sutopo said. “The risk of accidents remains high because of the way [these miners] dig for the diamonds.”

Sutopo of the BNPB urged the regional administration to address the matter to prevent more accidents and deaths from occurring in the future.

“The city administration should pursue mitigation efforts, including developing plans to turn the area into a proper tourist destination,” Sutopo said.

Kisworo Dwi Kuncoro of the Indonesian Forum of the Environment (Walhi) echoed Sutopo’s sentiments, and urged related authorities to conduct a comprehensive study on the management of the city and its diamond mining.

“Authorities should close the traditional mine sites temporarily, while they complete the study, which should also explore alternate livelihoods for locals should the mines need to be closed permanently,” Kisworo told The Jakarta Post.

The incident in Banjarbaru occurred roughly one month after a similar incident in Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi. On Feb. 27, a landslide occurred at an illegal artisanal gold mine in Bakan village — located around five hours by car from the provincial capital of Manado.

The accident occurred when the mine’s supporting beams and planks collapsed as a result of unstable soil conditions.

A joint search and rescue team comprising personnel from Basarnas, the local police and the military conducted an operation to rescue the miners, the majority of whom were residents of nearby villages.

The joint team rescued 25 survivors and recovered 24 bodies from the mine.

The accident was one of the worst mining accidents in the country’s history.

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