Race against time: Rescuers searching for victims in Pasir Langu village after the landslide in West Bandung district of West Java province. — AP
The death toll in a massive landslide over the weekend hit at least 17, as rescuers used heavy equipment to hunt for dozens still missing days after heavy rains unleashed a torrent of mud.
People gathered near the site in Java’s West Bandung region yesterday, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.
The flow of soil and debris barrelled through the village of Pasirlangu early on Saturday, burying residential areas and forcing dozens to evacuate their homes.
“It’s impossible that they are still alive. I just want their bodies to be found,” said Aep Saepudin, who has been coming to the village daily for updates about his 11 family members who are missing, including his sister.
“My heart aches. I feel so sad seeing my older sister like that (buried by the landslide).”
Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, confirmed that at least 17 people were killed and local officials said 73 were still missing.
More than 50 houses were severely damaged, which also displaced over 650 people, the local disaster agency added.
Dozens of rescuers were searching the area at the foot of Mount Burangrang under dark rain clouds.
They excavated manually and used heavy equipment, but said they had to tread carefully for fear of another landslide due to the unstable ground and bad weather.
“What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we’re in the operation, we aren’t focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides,” rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, said.
The disaster comes after the government pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.
The government has filed multiple lawsuits following the Sumatra floods, seeking more than US$200mil (RM800.7mil) in damages against six firms.
It also stripped more than two dozen permits last week from forestry, mining and hydroelectric companies in Sumatra.
West Java’s governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed Saturday’s disaster on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents. — AFP
