CIREBON (TIP): At least thirteen people were killed and a dozen injured Friday in a rockfall at a limestone quarry on Indonesia‘s Java island, disaster official said. The company overseeing the mine was operating legally but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he had ordered its closure following the accident.
Workers and heavy equipment were buried when rocks suddenly crumbled at the mining site in the city of Cirebon in West Java province at around 09:30 am local time (0230 GMT). “Until now, 13 people have been found dead. Around five to six people might still be buried, and the figure might change,” the head of the local disaster agency, Deni Nurcahya told AFP. Rescuers decided to halt the evacuation and resume the operation Saturday morning for fear of another rockfall, he said.
Previously, the local police chief, Sumarni, who like many Indonesians has one name told AFP that at least 12 people were injured and have been taken to hospitals.
Friday’s incident was the second time the quarry collapsed. Parts of the mine collapsed in February but there were no casualties reported.
“I decided to shut down the pit permanently, not just this pit but also other pits nearby,” Dedi told Metro TV.
Mining accidents are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, especially in unlicensed sites where safety protocols are often ignored.
In 2023, eight workers died after being trapped in an illegal gold mine in Central Java.
In July last year at least 23 people died and 35 others were missing when a landslide hit a remote village near an illegal gold mine on the central island of Sulawesi. (AFP)
Argentine court declares mistrial in the case over death of Diego Maradona
29 May 2025
BUENOS AIRES (TIP): An Argentine court on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona, the latest dramatic twist in a trial that has captivated the nation and the soccer world for more than two months.
The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down over criticism surrounding her participation in a forthcoming documentary about the case.
Her controversial withdrawal compelled the court to either appoint a new judge in her place or to retry the entire case from scratch.
On Thursday, the judges decided the latter, effectively turning the clock back on all proceedings in the case that accuses Maradona’s medical team of failing to provide adequate care for the soccer star in his final days.
The judges ruled there would be a new trial, without specifying when.
Julieta Makintach said that she had “no choice” but to resign from the case on Tuesday after the prosecutor showed a teaser-trailer for a documentary, Divine Justice, which traces the aftermath of Maradona’s death at the age of 60 to the start of the trail, clearly featuring Makintach as a main protagonist.
Maradona, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 1986, died on Nov. 25, 2020 on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, days after undergoing surgery for a hematoma that formed between his skull and brain. (AP)