Illegal logging blamed for deadly Pasaman landslide

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.