More than 60 missing after collapse of illegal gold mine in Sulawesi, rescue operation underway

Indonesia's disaster agency said on Wednesday that rescuers were searching for survivors after more than 60 people were feared buried by the collapse of an illegal gold mine on the island of Sulawesi province.

The agency said in a statement one person had been found dead and 13 people rescued by 5 a.m on Wednesday after the collapse the previous evening at the site in Bolaang Mongondow area of North Sulawesi.

"When dozens of people were mining for gold at the location, suddenly beams and supporting boards they used broke due to unstable land and numerous mining shafts," disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.