Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) reported that 131 people were affected by the massive landslide that leveled an unauthorized gold mining pit in Tulabolo Village, Gorontalo Province, on Sunday (July 7).
As of Tuesday evening, 23 of the 131 people affected by the landslide were confirmed dead, 35 were still missing, and 73 were found alive but had sustained injuries, Basarnas' Operational Director, Edy Prakoso, noted in a press statement received here.
"We still search for the 35 missing people," he remarked while emphasizing that the number of those falling victim to the landslide is "temporary and subject to change" if villagers filed new reports.
Baca juga: Korban meninggal akibat longsor tambang di Gorontalo mencapai 23 orang
Prakoso highlighted that the landslide victims were found scattered across four different spots that were the focus of the search operation for the rescuers.
Meanwhile, Basarnas head Kusrowo had earlier underscored the need to deploy more helicopters for the search operation to help transport rescuers immediately to the mining pit located in a remote area.
As of Tuesday, only one police helicopter was supporting the efforts of a joint team of rescuers.
At the same time, rescuers heading from the Poduwoma Command Post in Suwawa Timur Sub-district had to walk for about 23.7 kilometers to reach the mining pit.
Torrential rains lashed several areas of Gorontalo on Saturday (July 6), triggering flash floods and landslides.
Several bridges connecting access roads to the gold mining pit, located far from residential areas, collapsed.
