Death toll in Batam landslide rises to 17

JAKARTA (JP): The death toll in Wednesday's massive landslide on Batam Island rose yesterday to 17, with five people still missing and four injured, police said.

Sixteen villagers were buried alive when the landslide, triggered by heavy rains, hit a hilly slum area in Bengkong Indah early Wednesday.

All bodies were found after residents, police and Armed Forces members worked late into the night in the search for missing people, who were feared to be buried in the stricken area. Heavy equipment was also used to remove the mud.

"As of dusk today (Thursday), we did not find any other bodies," police Second Sergeant Doni from the East Batam precinct told The Jakarta Post by telephone.

He said the disaster was triggered by incessant rain that pounded the area from early Wednesday and continued throughout the day.

Mansyur Iskandar, the Bengkong Indah neighborhood unit chief, said he did not know the whereabouts of five neighbors, but he refused to speculate whether they had been buried under the mud.

A survivor told Antara the disaster happened early in the morning when people in the area were still asleep. He added that he and three other neighbors managed to flee when they heard a thunderous noise.

He said the mud swept through the village of about 400 people.

Twenty shanties suffered heavy damage after they were buried under the earth. Relief workers tore down 10 houses yesterday which were seriously damaged and asked the occupants to move because the area was too vulnerable to disaster.

Local authorities built 10 tents to accommodate the victims who lost their houses. Others were temporarily moved to a mosque or put up by their relatives in other areas.

Riau governor Soeripto visited the stricken area and paid tribute to the dead victims before they were buried. The provincial government donated Rp 50 million (US$21,000) to the families of the victims.

Batam mayor R.A. Azis said the disaster was only the latest over the past 10 years. He said on the hilly island, there are 20,000 families living in shanties in 56 locations prone to landslides.

The Batam Authority has planned to resettle the poor migrants to Batuaji and Kabil areas, which are designated for public housing. (16)