Landslide hit flood areas, dozens reported missing

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya

While floodwaters have yet to subside in the East Java regency of Blitar, a mudslide has buried around 960 houses in Tambakrejo village, some 37 kilometers south of Blitar.

The landslide came after three days of torrential rain, a rescue worker Agung Mahendra told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The village lies below a hill which has been denuded since 1998 following continuous felling of teak trees there.

"The landslide in Tambakrejo is even worst than the flood, as hundreds of people lost their homes and have erected makeshift shelters around the slope," Agung said over the phone.

He added that survivors were on the lookout for family members and relatives who had disappeared since the disaster took place on Saturday.

"We do not know yet whether there are fatalities in the landslide, but dozens of people have been reportedly missing. They could have either fled the village for a safer place or been buried under the mud," Agung said.

Agung and around 20 other volunteers were the first to deliver relief to Tambakrejo villagers. They could only reach the village on foot as thick mud had covered the road there.

Persistent rain in the past four days has caused major flooding in Blitar, with Sukojayan and Kademangan subdistricts being the areas hit hardest. At least nine people were killed in the disaster, while thousands of houses were inundated. Water swamped thousands of houses at 30 centimeters high.

Blitar is the town where President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's mother Siti Habibah lives. The President was hosting a party with his presidential campaign team at Cipanas Presidential Palace when the flood swamped the town on Saturday.

People in the regency remained on alert as the rain did not stop on Sunday.

Floods also affected the neighboring towns of Kediri and Pacitan, the hometown of the President. Two people were killed while evacuating.

Various diseases have began to spread among the flood victims in Blitar, with 32 people being treated for respiratory problems and skin problems.

A medical worker said on Sunday that most of the patients came from Sukojayan subdistrict.

"They have been hospitalized and we fear the numbers will increase as some of the areas remain inundated," a volunteer Basuki told the Post.

He also said clean water had been running out at the temporary shelters. Lack of clean water will increase the spread the diseases.

"We need more antibiotics and other medicines for the victims due to the poor conditions at the makeshift shelters," he said.

In some villages such as Blimbing, Bacem and Gondanglegi, water had began to subside, leaving thick mud in houses and streets there.

Meanwhile, donations from various organizations such as food, cooking utensils and mineral water began to pour into the flood- hit areas.