Rescuers hunt for survivors after Indonesia landslide kills at least 3 people

JAKARTA - Rescue teams in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province searched for survivors on Thursday (Feb 25) after a landslide in an illegal gold mining area killed at least three people, with more feared dead, disaster officials said.

Teams comprised of police, military and the local disaster agency deployed heavy machinery to help the search, with at least 15 survivors found as of Thursday, according to the provincial disaster agency.

The landslide occurred on Wednesday (Feb 24) evening in the village of Buranga after days of heavy rain, with at least five people still missing, Andi Sembiring of the provincial disaster mitigation said in a statement.

Local media said dozens could still be missing.

The number of victims could be higher than what has been recorded so far, said Fatmawati, a search and rescue official in the provincial capital Palu, who goes by one name.