44 killed as landslide buries bus in Sumatra

Imran Rusli and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Padang/Medan

A rain-triggered landslide in Pasaman regency, West Sumatra, buried a bus under tons of mud, killing at least 44 passengers, police and other officials said on Saturday.

At least 13 passengers survived the disaster on Friday night and are being treated at a hospital in Panti subdistrict, Pasaman.

The PO ALS bus, carrying at least 57 passengers, was hit by the landslide as it was traveling from the neighboring North Sumatra capital of Medan to Pasaman during a rainstorm.

While passing along a tight and twisty section of road in the mountainous area of Bukit Barisan, some six kilometers from Panti subdistrict, at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the bus was slammed by the landslide near Kuburan Duo village, some 200 kilometers from the West Sumatra capital of Padang.

Police said the bus was unable to escape because it was blocked in by large logs on one side and a cliff on the other.

Minutes before the disaster, the bus had stopped to allow a truck traveling in the opposite direction to pass on the narrow road.

Some 100 meters of the road are buried beneath mud and debris, and authorities have sent in heavy equipment to aid in rescue efforts.

At least 39 bodies had been recovered by Saturday night and five people were still listed as missing.

Rescuers lifted the 13 survivors from the back section of the bus.

The search is continuing for additional victims thought to be trapped inside the bus, with rescue workers digging with spades and hoes.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Langgo Simalango said there was little chance any more victims would be found alive.

The search and rescue team is having difficulty recovering victims because of the thick mud covering much of the bus, he said.

"The area from Bukit Barisan to Pasaman is prone to landslides due to deforestation in the hills. There have been several similar disasters in the area," Langgo said.

He said the landslide followed hours of heavy rain in Pasaman and other parts of North Sumatra that began at about 3 p.m. on Friday.

Rampant deforestation blamed on illegal logging, and heavy rains cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year throughout the country.

Last Wednesday night, a landslide left 12 people dead and three others missing in Cililin subdistrict, Bandung, West Java.

A search and rescue team has so far been unable to recover the missing victims from Kidang Pananjung village, where the terrain consists of steep and slippery hills.

Antara reported that rescuers continued their search at 8 a.m. on Saturday with the aid of heavy equipment.

Last month, a landslide in South Sulawesi left 30 people dead and 200 people died in November when a flash flood swept through the Bukit Lawang resort in North Sumatra.