Death toll from quarry collapse in Indonesia rises to 19

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – The number of confirmed deaths from Friday’s landslides at a quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province rose to 19 as of Sunday, Xinhua News reported, citing officials.

Continued landslides have forced authorities to pause the search for six people still missing.

According to Hadi Rahmat Hardjasasmita, spokesman for West Java’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency, rescuers discovered two more bodies on Sunday at the Gunung Kuda mine, located in Bobos village, Cirebon Regency.

To support search and relief operations, a state of emergency was declared on Friday and will remain in effect until June 6, he said.

Mamang Fatmono, acting head of the province’s search and rescue operations, confirmed that ongoing landslides have made it too dangerous to continue rescue efforts at the site.

The incident occurred at the Gunung Kuda stone mine in Bobos Village of Cirebon Regency around 10 a.m. local time (0300GMT). Authorities believe that the stone quarry collapse was due to a mining error.

Earlier reports indicated that at least 10 people were killed and six were injured after a natural stone quarry collapsed on several people.