20 die, 73 missing in garbage slide<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
Twenty people were killed and 73 are missing after mountains of
\ngarbage in Leuwigajah dump in south Cimahi collapsed onto two
\nvillages on Monday.<\/p>\n
The massive \"landslide\" struck at 2 a.m. when people were
\nasleep and flattened 68 houses in Cilimus hamlet in East
\nBatujajar, Bandung regency as well as two houses in Pojok hamlet
\nin Leuwigajah, Cimahi.<\/p>\n
Twenty bodies have been recovered from the disaster area, and
\n73 are still missing. Forty-three people survived the disaster.<\/p>\n
Scores of search and rescue personnel from the military,
\npolice and local residents were still scouring the site in the
\nhope of finding more survivors among those missing.<\/p>\n
Nine of the surviving victims taken to Dustira and Cibabat
\nhospitals in Cimahi suffered broken bones.<\/p>\n
Four of the 20 dead found in Pojok hamlet were Usep, Iim, Elma
\nand Ayu, while the remaining 16 victims in Cilimus were Ari
\nSutisna, Ruhmaya, Yanto, Endang, Emi, Hendra, Fajar, Nengsih,
\nTina, Santi, Lana, Kosasih, Titin, Parmita, Yudi and two-month
\nold Neng.<\/p>\n
Monday's landslide was the sixth since the dump opened in
\n1992. The worst case was in 1994 when it flatted six houses but
\ncaused no casualties.<\/p>\n
\"This disaster is the biggest in West Java. We're all
\ngrieving,\" said West Java Governor Danny Setiawan when he visited
\nthe disaster area in Cilimus hamlet on Monday.<\/p>\n
Sixty-year-old Sukandar said the landslide happened about half
\nan hour after a bomb-like explosion at 2 a.m. right when he
\nfinished his predawn prayer. The explosion was allegedly followed
\nby a thunderous sound and a tremor from the mountain of garbage
\njust a kilometer from his house.<\/p>\n
\"When I left the house, lights were spewing out of the
\nmountain of garbage like a meteor. I woke up my wife up and ran
\nto safety,\" recalled Sukandar, who is still searching for his
\ndaughter Siti Nurhadiah, who is missing along with her four
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
The dump receives around 5,000 tons of garbage daily from
\nthree areas, Bandung municipality and regency as well as Cimahi
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Head of Cimahi environment office, Arlina Gumira, said there
\nwere six million cubic meters of garbage in the 23.5-hectare dump
\nwith an average height of 20 meters.<\/p>\n
The landslide happened at a time when the Cimahi
\nadministration, which manages the dump, planned to build a 20
\nkilometer wall at the site to prevent a collapse.<\/p>\n
Cimahi Major Itoc Tochya said the collapse was unexpected
\nbecause greenery had started to grow on the mountain of garbage.
\n\"We as the management plan to build a safety wall but the money
\nwas not available. This disaster is completely unexpected,\" he
\nsaid while visiting the disaster area.<\/p>\n
Head of East Batujajar village, Syaeful Bachri, said local
\nresidents affected in the disaster were promised by Bandung
\nregency that they would be relocated to a safer area three years
\nago. \"But the promise was not fulfilled, and the garbage has
\nalready collapsed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Governor Danny Setiawan said he would meet the Bandung regent
\nand mayor as well as the Cimahi major on Tuesday to discuss the
\ndisaster and the dump.<\/p>\n
\"I don't blame anyone because it's all our garbage. But the
\nplan to built a safety wall at a cost of Rp 8 billion
\n(US$888,888) had been proposed to the central government in 2002
\nbut the fund was not forthcoming,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Priangan Police chief, Sr. Comr. Sudaryanto, said the police
\nwould investigate the cause of the disaster, in order to find out
\nwhether it occurred due to negligence on the part of the
\nmanagement.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/20-die-73-missing-in-garbage-slide-1447893297",
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