Death toll from collapse of Indonesian mine rises to 16

- 18 people have been rescued so far, says official from national disaster agency

The death toll from the collapse of a gold mine in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province has risen to 16, according to an official from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Speaking about the latest developments, spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said seven more bodies had been discovered since Saturday.

Rescue teams have also found 18 survivors so far, Nugroho said.

A landslide on Feb. 26 at the unlicensed gold mine trapped an unknown number of miners.

Search efforts are underway and will continue until March 11.

Reporting by Mahmut Atanur in Jakarta

Writing by Nilay Kar

Anadolu Agency

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