Deadly landslide at Indonesia’s Java quarry kills 13, injures dozens VIDEO

A deadly landslide at a limestone quarry on Indonesia’s Java island has claimed the lives of at least 13 people and left about 10 others injured.

Over 24 workers were trapped when the quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on May 30 morning local time, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Sumarni, the local police chief, said rescuers managed to pull a dozen injured individuals from the rubble during a difficult search operation. “Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse, and we have been questioning the owner and workers of the quarry,” she said.

She added that police, emergency responders, soldiers, and volunteers were actively searching for any remaining workers. The rescue efforts were supported by five excavators but were complicated by unstable soil conditions, which posed a risk of further landslides. Deni Nurcahya, head of the local disaster agency, said that the death toll might be higher than initially reported.

“Until now, 13 people have been found dead,” he said. “Around five to six people might still be buried, and the figure might change.” Out of concern for another potential rockfall, rescuers decided to pause evacuation efforts and planned to resume operations on May 31 morning, Deni added. This was the second collapse at the quarry; a partial collapse had occurred in February, though no casualties were reported at that time.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi shared in an Instagram video that he had previously visited the site and noted its dangers before he was elected. “I saw that C-grade mining was very dangerous, it did not meet the safety standard elements for its workers,” he said. He also admitted, “I didn’t have any capacity to stop it” at that time. Mulyadi announced decisive measures to permanently close this quarry and four other mines in West Java deemed hazardous to the environment and public safety. “I decided to shut down the pit permanently, not just this pit but also other pits nearby,” he said. 

Video footage from the scene showed rescuers struggling to remove a body bag from the devastated area. Mining accidents are common throughout the mineral-rich Southeast Asian region, particularly in unlicensed mines where safety protocols are often ignored. In 2023, eight workers died after being trapped in an illegal gold mine in Central Java. Last July, at least 23 people died and 35 went missing after a landslide struck a remote village near an illegal gold mine on Sulawesi island.

Nine dead, twelve injured after a landslide hit a mining site in Gunung Kuda, Cirebon, Indonesia on May 30.

Evacuations are ongoing as search and rescue teams continue efforts at the scene.pic.twitter.com/Y2pNgWzQVS

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) May 30, 2025

By Naila Huseynova