Search launched for survivors after deadly landslide hits Indonesia
Search and rescue teams are searching for survivors after heavy rain triggered a landslide in western Indonesia, killing at least five people and leaving dozens unaccounted for, an official says.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster agency said in a statement on Tuesday that rescuers found five people dead and are searching for at least 38 people, who went missing after the landslide hit a village in West Java Province on Monday.
Three people were also injured in the disaster, while 61 others evacuated from the area, Nugroho said.
The spokesman said the rainy weather, electricity cuts and rough roads are hindering the rescue efforts by preventing heavy machinery from accessing the area in Sukabumi regency.
“Relief efforts have also been hampered by a lot of people who want to get to the disaster,” he said, adding, “The roads are narrow which has caused rescue teams, logistics and ambulances to be stuck in traffic jams.”
The search operation was halted overnight but resumed Tuesday morning.
An underwater landslide triggered by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau Volcano in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Sumatra and Java caused a tsunami on December 22, leaving hundreds of people dead.
Indonesia forms part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is regularly hit by earthquakes. Landslides are common in the vast tropical archipelago.
In October, flash floods and landslides hit several provinces on Sumatra Island in western Indonesia, claiming the lives of over 20 people.
About 50 people also died when floods and landslides struck Banjarnegara regency in Central Java province in June 2016.
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