Rescuers recovered more bodies buried under tonnes of mud from a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 30, officials said.
“As at 11.50am (local time) today, nine bodies have been found,” local government spokesperson Patli Muhamad said yesterday.
The bodies were found buried under the rubble and debris at Pangkalan village, Patli said, adding that 24 people were still missing.
The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills on Monday, burying 30 houses in Genting village on a tiny remote island in the Natuna archipelago at the edge of the South China Sea, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.
Authorities have deployed more than 200 rescuers from the search and rescue agency, police and military to search for people still missing who were apparently trapped in houses that were buried under the landslide, which was 4m deep, it said.
Eight people were pulled out alive with injuries, three of whom are in critical condition, National Disaster Management Agency chief Suharyanto said yesterday.
They were rushed late on Monday to a hospital in Pontianak city on Borneo island, about 300km from Genting, but one person died at sea on the way.
The search and rescue operation has been hampered by heavy rains around the disaster site.
Weather has forced the search effort to be halted several times, while downed communications lines and electricity are also impeding the operation, said Suharyanto who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.
“We are doing our best to find the missing victims,” Suharyanto said, adding that sniffer dogs were also being mobilised in the search.
Two helicopters and several vessels carrying rescuers, medical teams and relief supplies, including tents, blankets and food, arrived on the island from Jakarta and nearby islands on Wednesday.
Suharyanto said Monday’s landslide displaced about 1,300 people who were taken to four temporary shelters.
Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across Indonesia. — Agencies
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
