Landslide at unlicensed Indonesia gold mine leaves 'as many as 60 people' buried: officials

Rescue efforts are reportedly underway in Indonesia after a landslide at an unlicensed gold mine left at least one person dead, officials said Wednesday. (BNPB (Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management))

Rescue efforts are reportedly underway in Indonesia after a landslide at an unlicensed gold mine left at least one person dead and as many as 60 people buried, officials said Wednesday.

The fatality was confirmed by the national disaster agency, which also said that more than a dozen other people were hurt during the landslide in the North Sulawesi province, according to The Associated Press.

FAT RAT STUCK IN SEWER SAVED AFTER NINE-PERSON RESCUE EFFORT IN GERMANY

Mining work was ongoing Tuesday evening local time when “suddenly the poles and supporting boards were broken due to the unstable condition of the soil and the large number of mining holes,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for national disaster mitigation agency BNPB, said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Several people were feared to be covered by the rubble, according to the official.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"It is estimated that as many as 60 people are buried under landslide and rock material at the location of the people's mining area," Nugroho said.

Dangerous informal mining operations are reportedly typical in the country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.