West Papua landslide leaves 6 dead and 14 missing, Indonesia
A landslide triggered by heavy rain struck a remote gold mine in West Papua on May 16, 2025, killing six and leaving 14 missing. Rescue efforts were delayed by the site’s inaccessibility and were halted again on May 19 due to damaged roads and continued rainfall.
Torrential rains forced a halt to Indonesia's search for over a dozen missing in its easternmost region of Papua after a landslide killed at least six workers at a gold mine, officials said https://t.co/Vaqa38WZl9 pic.twitter.com/LtWXw9JkSc
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 19, 2025
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster agency (BNPB), said a local gold mine in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua was hit by a landslide on Friday, May 16, sweeping through miner camps built near the site. Six people were confirmed dead, four were injured, and 14 remain missing.
Yefri Sabaruddin, who leads the local rescue team, said crews were only able to begin searching on Sunday after a 12-hour journey to reach the remote site.
Officials said around 40 rescuers, including police and military personnel, were dispatched to locate the missing. However, road damage and ongoing rainfall hindered access to the site, forcing a temporary suspension of search efforts on Monday, May 19. The operation is expected to resume on Tuesday.
The figures released on May 19 revised earlier reports, raising the confirmed deaths to six from one and lowering the number of missing to 14 from 19.
Indonesia is highly prone to landslides during the monsoon season. In January 2025, flash floods and landslides in Java killed at least 20 people, while in May 2024, heavy rainfall triggered deadly floods in West Sumatra, resulting in 67 fatalities.
Featured image: Landslide in West Papua, Indonesia, on May 16, 2025. Credit: KompasTV (stillshot from the video)
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