Four killed as landslide buries house in Semarang
Four killed as landslide buries house in Semarang
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
At least four people from one family were killed on early Tuesday
morning when a landslide buried and destroyed their house in the
Central Java capital of Semarang.
Relatives of a 32-year-old pedicab driver, named only as
Suyanto, who lives at Delikrejo village in Tembalang subdistrict,
four kilometers east of the Central Java governor's office in
Semarang, died in the landslide.
Suyanto was working outside his house at 2:30 a.m. when the
tragedy occurred. However, his wife Sumiati, 30, and three
relatives -- Suparti, 28, Siti Aminah, 23, and Suwarti, 8, --
died.
The last three victims were residents of Sendangharjo village
in Karangrayung subdistrict in Grobogan regency, who were
visiting Suyanto's house to commemorate the one year anniversary
of his father's death.
The four bodies were unearthed by local villagers and police,
who had launched a search at 7:30 a.m. The authorities are
investigating the accident.
Witnesses said the landslide caused the four-meter-by-two-
meter concrete terrace of the house belonging to Suyanto's
closest neighbor Sukarman, 49, to slam into Suyanto's house,
where the four were sleeping.
"I just realized that my house was affected by the landslide
after hearing loud voices and cries for help outside. I then
awoke and helped them," Sukarman said.
He said his hilly village many years ago was struck often by
landslides. At least eight landslides have been recorded since
1985. However, no casualties had been reported.
"Therefore, residents anticipated such disasters by building
concrete floors with their own money," Sukarman said.
Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip told The Jakarta Post that his
administration was seeking to relocate villagers from the
landslide-prone area.
"The location is part of the green belt area which is not safe
to live in. Apart from its bad position, the village has
overhead, high tension electricity cables, endangering their (the
resident's) lives," he said.
Sukawi said the local government had prepared land in the
Gunung Pati area for at least 50 families, who were currently
residing at the landslide-hit village.
The villagers were originally illegal migrants from other
regencies, but since 1997 their presence has been recognized as
local legal residents and most of them have obtained certificates
for their land.
Tuesday's landslide was the latest to strike Semarang. On Feb.
16, at least seven people were killed and two were injured
following a similar disaster in Lempongsari, Gajahmungkur
subdistrict in Semarang.
The landslide, which took place 200 meters from the Central
Java governor's office, had also swept seven houses some 30
meters downhill in the hilly residential area of Candi after a
retaining wall broke.
Earlier last month, another landslide destroyed 34 homes in
the Srondol section of the city.
Nationwide floods had killed more than 150 in Jakarta and Java
provinces since late January.
Minister of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructures Sunarno
said last month that the devastating flooding across Indonesia
had caused infrastructural damage worth Rp 1.8 trillion.
He said that in Jakarta alone, the floods since late January
had caused Rp 700 billion worth of damage.
Sunarno added that these estimates were based on the funds
required to repair or rebuild ruined infrastructure and did not
include the value of individual property losses.
"In Jakarta alone, around 100,000 homes have been damaged," he
added.