Six people were found dead and another was still missing after a mudslide buried workers at an illegal gold mining site in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province.
Sixteen miners were rescued after the incident in Parigi Moutong district on Wednesday evening, said Andi Sultan, the operational head of the provincial search and rescue agency.
The mine shaft collapsed about 30 minutes after heavy rain began pouring in, burying workers under 20-metre thick mud, said Raditya Jati, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.
"More people came because they heard news that there was substantial gold and they jostled to get into the narrow pit," Raditya said.
About 100 people were working in the mine at that time, but most managed to escape, he said.
Soldiers, police and local residents have joined the search for the missing, he said.
Deadly accidents are common in artisanal mining sites in Indonesia. About two dozen people have been killed in similar disasters this year.
The widespread use of mercury by small-scale miners has also led to various health problems, experts said.
Australian Associated Press
