Deaths from Indonesia mine collapse rise to 6, dozens buried

Rescuers carry a survivor from inside a collapsed mine in Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. The collapse of an unlicensed gold mine in Indonesia buried dozens of people, and rescuers dug desperately with their bare hands and farm tools on Wednesday to unearth victims calling for help from beneath the rubble. (AP Photo/Harry Tri Atmojo)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim of a collapsed mine in Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. The collapse of an unlicensed gold mine in Indonesia buried dozens of people, and rescuers dug desperately with their bare hands and farm tools on Wednesday to unearth victims calling for help from beneath the rubble. (AP Photo/Harry Tri Atmojo)

BOLAANG MONGONDOW, Indonesia – Rescue workers are using makeshift stretchers to haul survivors of an Indonesian gold mine collapse through steep terrain to safety as the death toll rose to six and dozens remain trapped in the debris.

A disaster official in North Sulawesi's Bolaang Mongondow district, Abdul Muin Paputungan, says 19 people have been rescued and about 40 are still buried as of Thursday.

Photos showed a trapped miner's arms reaching through a gap in rocks and rescuers toiling through the night in arduous conditions.

Wooden structures in the unlicensed mine collapsed on Tuesday evening due to shifting soil and the large number of mining holes.

Informal mining operations are commonplace in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to thousands who labor in conditions with a high risk of serious injury or death.