Landslide Threat to Run Into January

The Jakarta Globe, December 21, 2013.


Four people died and several others were injured on Friday after torrential rains triggered a landslide in the Central Java district of Kebumen.

“Four died, one is seriously injured while three others sustained minor injuries,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), told the Jakarta Globe.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains that lasted from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, buried a home in Kali Gending village, in Kebumen’s Karam Sambung subdistrict.

Those killed were identified as Rusmiyati, 50; Lastri, 30; 5-year-old Sofa; and an eight-month-old baby, Pamungkas.

The Kebumen Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), military and police rescued the injured and took them to the nearest hospital.

The torrential rain also caused the Gentang River embankment to collapse and flood nearby villages.

On Thursday, a landslide triggered by heavy rain in the west end of the West Javan province of Bandung killed at least one person and forced dozens to evacuate.

The landslide damaged houses in three subdistricts and buried the road connecting West Bandung and Cimahi district. Sutopo reminded residents of the area to stay alert between December and January, when rainfall would remain very high.

Earlier this month, torrential rain in the North Sumatran town of Berastagi, located near the still-erupting Mount Sinabung volcano, led to a landslide that killed nine people. Rain fell in the hills around Berastagi last Saturday afternoon and evening. The first landslide struck at 7 p.m, in the villages of Gundaling and Laununggap.

First responders found two people dead: Leni Wulandari, 22, and her 2-year-old son, who were found in their house, buried beneath the landslide. Leni’s husband was said to be away, working in Malaysia at the time.

In Gundaling II village, authorities identified six dead: Maruli Sijabat, 65; Siti Boru Nababan, 60; Marolop, 20; Litna Boru Silaban, 25; Bela Kasih Boru Manik, 4 and Junaidi Donggol Manik, 2.

The body of Laununggap villager Rosalina Siboru, 10, was recovered in Simpang Ujungaji.

Sutopo urged everyone living in landslide-prone regions to be especially vigilant over the coming months as the rainy season increases the risk of destabilizing soil layers. Earthquakes and heavy rain are common causes of deadly landslides throughout the country.



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