Four gold miners die

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Four miners died in a landslide Saturday while working in a prohibited gold mining area in Kelian Dalam Long Iram, Kutai regency.

The chief of Kutai District Police, Lt. Col. Iwan Ismed, said the bodies of Sukruk, Azis, Amran and Udin had been dug out from under a pile of earth that they had been spraying with water to extract gold.

"Mining by spraying water on soil is prohibited because it can endanger lives and pollute the river," Iwan was quoted by Antara as saying. (imn)