At least 1300 evacuated, 380 homes damaged in W. Java landslides

Jakarta Globe, 5/10/2017


Jakarta. At least 1,300 residents have been evacuated and 380 homes damaged after landslides hit villages in the West Java district of Cianjur last weekend, an official said on Tuesday (03/10). No casualties were reported.

Cianjur administration on Sunday declared a week-long state of emergency in the area. The landslides also damaged three schools, 14 mosques, three irrigation channels and roads in five villages.

Local administration officials, security officers and volunteers are working together to provide food and shelters for the evacuees, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a statement.

He said further landslides are expected if heavy rains and strong winds batter the area again during the transition period from dry to wet season in November.

Landslides have claimed the largest number of casualties compared to other natural disasters in Indonesia between 2014 and 2016, according to the BNPB.

Last year, nearly 350 landslides were recorded, killing 130 people, injuring at least 63 and forcing more than 18,000 to be evacuated.


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