Number of dead in Indonesia quarry collapse rises to 14

2 days ago 4

The number of people killed in Indonesia after a rock collapse at a quarry has risen to 14, officials said on Saturday.

The Gunung Kuda quarry in the province of West Java gave way a day earlier, crushing more than 20 people.

Twelve injured people were rescued and 10 bodies were recovered from the debris during search efforts on Friday.

Rescuers then retrieved three more bodies later that day, while another worker died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 14, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.

Drone view of rescue operations after a rock collapse at a quarry in West Java Province, Indonesia May 30, 2025. Pic Andrea Ramadhan/Reuters

Image: A drone view of the rescue efforts. Pic Andrea Ramadhan/Reuters

Five more people are being treated in hospital with serious injuries.

But six to eight others are thought to be still trapped under the rubble and the search continues.

Local television showed emergency personnel, police, soldiers and volunteers desperately digging through the debris at the foot of a steep limestone cliff on Saturday.

Other footage captured excavators trying to shift huge rocks and workers placing body bags in an ambulance.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse, but illegal or informal mines are common in Indonesia, and bring the risk of landslides, flooding and tunnel collapses.

 BASARNAS/AP

Image: Pic: BASARNAS/AP

 BASARNAS/AP

Image: Pic: BASARNAS/AP

On Friday, West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi said he had ordered the closure of this quarry, as well as four other similar sites in the province.

Last year, a landslide triggered by torrential rains wiped out an unauthorised gold mining operation on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people.

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The country was hit by several other major landslides in 2024.

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