12 female miners killed by landslide in Indonesia

District police chief Reza Chairul told local media that a number of people were digging for gold at the illegal gold mine before the landslide occurred in Bandar Limabung village, Mandailing Natal regency.

«Suddenly, part of the cliff collapsed, then hit and buried the women,» he said, adding that the authorities are still scrutinizing the accident, Xinhua reports.

«A total of 14 people were buried. Two people survived,» he said, adding that police have evacuated the dead victims and returned them to their families.

Unlicensed mines are common across the archipelagic country and a number of accidents have occurred in the past years.

Last year, six mining workers were killed in a landslide at an unlicensed gold mine in Central Sulawesi province.