Indonesia quarry collapse kills 19, search continues for victims trapped under rubble

A rock collapse at a quarry at Cirebon in West Java province has killed 19 people, injured eight and there are six still missing, local police said on Sunday.

Indonesian search and rescue agency Basarnas said authorities continued their search on Sunday for people trapped in the rubble after the collapse on Friday.

Police said they had named two suspects for environmental law violations and for not providing safety equipment and for negligence.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said in a statement it would investigate the cause of the collapse and conduct an assessment to identify any potential further landslides.

Cirebon Regency is prone to soil movement, especially when precipitation is above normal, while the area of the collapse has a cliff slope, the chief of the ministry's geological agency, Muhammad Wafid, said in the statement.

Wafid said the undercutting method used in the open mining area and the steep slope may also have played a role in the collapse.

"While carrying out evacuation and search efforts, (rescuers) must pay attention to the weather and steep slopes, and not carry out activities during and after heavy rain, because this area still has the potential for further landslides that could hit or bury officers," Wafid said.

The site of Friday's collapse in Cirebon is dangerous and "does not meet safety standards for workers", West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi posted on Instagram.