Body recovery a tough job, says Army sergeant

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Nias

Sergeant Edi Ginting's face turned red from the effort of shifting a rock from a house in Gunung Sitoli, Nias island, which collapsed when a 8.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the western coastal area off Sumatra last week.

He finally managed to lift the rock with the help of residents.

"Evacuation of quake victims here is extremely difficult as it's done manually. It's difficult for us to remove the rubble without equipment," Edi of the Yonif 123 Rajawali Tapanuli Selatan unit of the Bukit Barisan Military Command, told The Jakarta Post.

He said rescue work on Nias had been much tougher than in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

On Nias, he said, to reach most victims, rescuers would have to work their way into collapsed buildings, while in Aceh, the bodies had been washed out of buildings by the giant waves.

"In terms of quantity, the tsunami in Aceh was very dramatic and took a lot of lives, while in Nias, it took less lives. But in terms of rescue work, it was easier in Aceh than in Nias," Edi said.

Chief of Yon Zikon 11 platoon from Jakarta, First Lt. Dwi Joko, said that in Aceh, Indonesian Military (TNI) volunteers had evacuated hundreds of bodies a day, while in Nias, three a day was usual.

He said this was not due to TNI officers' failure to come up to expectations, but to conditions in the field.

"In terms of military personnel numbers involved in evacuation work in Nias, it's the same as in Aceh. But in Aceh we could do a faster job. I am doubtful that two weeks is enough time to evacuate all victims," said Dwi, whose 157 officers engaged in evacuation work in Nias recently completed their assignment in Aceh.

Chief of Senapan company's second platoon from Yonif 123 Rajawali Tapanuli Selatan, Lt. B Hutabarat, said rescue work had been slower due to lack of equipment, though his squad in Nias comprised 400 officers, the same as when they were assigned to Aceh.

North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin, who is in charge of emergency work in Nias, said his administration had set a deadline for the evacuation of all bodies, for two weeks after the earthquake.

Bukit Barisan Military Commander Maj. Gen. Tri Tamtomo, said in a recent meeting with the governor that an additional two weeks would be needed to wrap up the evacuation process.

TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said during his visit to Nias last week that the TNI had assigned 4,000 personnel to Nias, mostly those who were on the verge of completing their assignments in Aceh.

Edi said he wife, who is pregnant, had been counting down the days until he returned from Aceh. But the new humanitarian mission in Nias meant he would be delayed.

"We learned about the assignment on board the ship that was taking us home. As a soldier, I have to obey orders, although my family is waiting for me."