Illegal logging blamed for deadly Pasaman landslide

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

Local residents blamed on Sunday illegal logging as the main cause of Friday's landslide in Pasaman regency, West Sumatra, that buried a bus and killed at least 39 of its passengers.

Meanwhile, search and rescue teams continued an intensive search for five more passengers declared missing after the PO ALS bus they were riding was buried under tons of mud.

As of Sunday, the teams had found no other survivors or bodies.

The bodies of 39 other passengers have been recovered, while 13 survivors are still receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Ardiyan, a local resident, said the landslide on Friday night was caused by torrential rains that washed away earth and debris from deforested areas in Rimbo Panti Forest, located in Sumatra's mountainous area of Bukit Barisan. The landslide washed down the slopes and over the ill-fated bus that was traveling along a mountain pass.

He added that only a few large trees were left in the stripped area of the forest.

"If government officials had prevented illegal logging in the area, the deadly accident would not have happened," Ardiyan, a resident of Panti subdistrict, was quoted as saying on Sunday by Antara.

Hasan Basri, another resident, confirmed that illegal logging had continued unchecked in Rimbo Panti Forest, which is located some 200 kilometers north of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra.

"Trucks carrying illegal logs often go back and forth from the forest. It is common knowledge," said Hasan, the owner of a restaurant located some six kilometers from the site of the incident.

He said not only timber companies, but also local residents had taken part in the illegal logging, and that another landslide had happened last year in Talu Forest, 45 kilometers from Rimbo Panti, but luckily, no fatalities were reported in the incident.

As of Sunday, several fallen trees, covered by mud, could be seen laying in the street near the site of the landslide.

Government employees used a chain saw to cut the trees and excavators to haul away the mud to allow traffic to resume. Members of search and rescue teams were still working non-stop to remove the mud from the body of the bus in their search for the five missing passengers.

Separately, West Sumatra Forestry Office head Jhonny Azwar denied allegations that illegal logging was the main cause of the fatal landslide.

"A few parts might be deforested, but in general, Rimbo Panti Forest remains intact," he said, adding that his office was looking into the cause of the incident.

The landslide in Pasaman regency occurred only two days after a similar landslide swept through Cililin subdistrict in Bandung, the capital of West Java. Illegal logging has also been blamed as the cause of the Cililin landslide.