Updated

Indonesian officials say hopes are diminishing of finding alive any of the 11 men buried by a landslide at an illegal mine on the island of Sumatra.

A local police chief, Yazid Fanani, said days of torrential rain caused a landslide late Monday at Merangin, a hilly district of Jambi province.

On Wednesday, rescue teams tried to reach the miners, who are buried in a 50-meter (164-foot) deep pit.

Informal mining is common in Indonesia despite being banned by the government because of the dangers.

Seasonal downpours often cause landslides and flash floods in the archipelago nation, where millions of people live on mountains or near flood plains.