SULAWESI, INDONESIA — At least 43 people are trapped inside an illegal gold mine in Sulawesi, Indonesia, according to local authorities.<br /><br />According to the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency, a landslide has trapped roughly 43 people inside an illegal gold mine in the Bolaang Mongondow region of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.<br /><br />Local authorities say the landslide happened on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. local time causing the mine's supportive beams and planks to collapse.<br /><br />According to national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho to Reuters, rescuers have found at least 3 dead bodies and rescued 14 miners.<br /><br />Conditions near the mine remain dangerous forcing local authorities and rescue teams to use simple tools such as spades and ropes to search for survivors.<br /><br />Small scale gold-mining is illegal but local authorities fail to report them and often overlook the practice. Accidents are a common occurrence in these mines due to the lack of regulation.
