Heavy rain and a dangerous landslide have claimed nine lives at the Minangkabau Gold Mine, 115km northeast of Padang in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province.
Authorities are investigating how a 30-metre-high cliff collapsed onto the illegal mining operation on 14 May 2026.
The disaster affected a total of 12 workers, of whom only three returned home at the end of their shift.
“Three people survived while nine others who were buried have been recovered deceased,” West Sumatra province police spokesperson Susmelawati Rosya tells independent not-for-profit media organisation Mongabay.
Investigators suspect the mine operator was repeatedly given stop work orders due to torrential rain. However, the undisclosed operator continued operations, even as the gold spot price reached $6,351.60.
“They were reminded, but they continued with their activities,” Guguk village chief Zainal tells the not-for-profit organisation.
“It has become increasingly popular as the price of gold has increased.”
West Sumatra has experienced multiple illegal gold mining accidents in the past decade.
Landslides and tunnel collapses have buried employees in the Solok, South Solok, Sijunjung, and West Pasaman districts.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment’s West Sumatra office has recorded 48 mine worker deaths in the past 15 years.
Write to Richard Szabo at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash
