Gorontalo landslide: Search for 23 people missing victims continued

Bone Bolango, Gorontalo (ANTARA) - The search for 23 people still missing following a massive landslide that leveled an unauthorized gold mining pit in Gorontalo on July 7 was continued on Friday morning following the end of extreme weather conditions.

On Thursday, the search operation was stopped after torrential rains continued to batter the landslide-hit mining pit area in Tulabolo Timur Village, Suwawi Timur Sub-district, Bone Bolango District.

On Friday, a joint team of rescuers would also deliver logistics and deploy more personnel to the landslide site, according to the Gorontalo Search and Rescue Agency's operational head, Ida Bagus Ngurah Asrama.

"Continued downpours in the mining pit area have hampered the search operation," the rescue agency official noted in a press statement published here on Thursday.

Asrama pointed out that the extreme weather conditions have slowed not only the search operation on the ground but also the deployment of additional rescuers and distribution of logistics, as these could not be carried out by helicopters.

The agency's operational head stated that in bad weather, motorcycles are the only vehicles that can deliver the logistics and transport the personnel to the landslide site.

As of Thursday, the number of people affected by the massive landslide totaled 190. Some 23 of those affected by the disaster were confirmed dead, 144 were found alive, and 23 were still missing, Asrama remarked.

Torrential rains lashed several areas of Gorontalo Province 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.