Police Seal Illegal Gold Mine in Sumbawa After Three Miners Die

An illegal gold mine in Lawang Tua, Lantung District, Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has now been sealed by police. The sealing was carried out in the wake of a landslide incident that killed three miners and injured six others.

“The Sumbawa Police will follow up by closing the implementation of activities at the location,” said Sumbawa Police Public Relations Head, First Inspector Zainal Arifin, when confirmed by detikBali on Sunday (6/9/2026).

Zainal stressed that police will investigate the mining activity. This is because the mining operation is suspected of not yet having obtained a people’s mining permit (IPR).

“The suspected mining activity that does not yet have an IPR will be investigated,” he added.

As an initial stage of the investigation, police have secured a number of items of evidence at the mine site. These include victims’ clothing, jerry cans, footwear, hats, as well as mining equipment such as crowbars and hammers.

“We have also installed a police line around the scene and heavy equipment,” he concluded.

It was previously reported that three illegal gold miners died after being buried by a landslide in the Lawang Tua area, Lantung District, Sumbawa Regency, NTB, on Saturday (5/9) evening. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others breathed their last at the Lantung Community Health Centre.