Landslide Hits Tabanan, Injuring Young Woman

Veronica Sulastri Putri Pura was injured when a landslide struck Perum Puskopad 2, BTN Sanggulan, Banjar Jadi Anyar, Banjar Anyar village, Kediri district, Tabanan, on Tuesday (27 October 2026) evening. The 21-year-old was hit by a wall at her home that collapsed after being struck by the landslide. She was taken to Tabanan Regional General Hospital for treatment.

“Fortunately, the victim suffered only minor injuries. However, her family then took her to Tabanan Regional General Hospital for further medical attention,” Kediri police chief Commissioner I Putu Budiawan said in a statement on Wednesday (28 October 2026).

Budiawan said the incident occurred at about 8pm local time. The residents, who were resting inside the house, suddenly heard a tree fall behind it. Heavy rain was falling in the area at the time.

After hearing the noise, the family hurried outside to get to safety. Within seconds, soil behind the house slid down and struck a wall, bringing it down. The debris then hit Veronica.

Budiawan said the landslide was thought to have been triggered by sloping ground and heavy rain. The age of the house wall was also believed to have worsened the damage.

The moments the landslide struck

Veronica’s father, 56-year-old Ferdinano Vitson Pura, described how the landslide happened. He and Veronica were the only people in the house that night. Ferdinano was standing on a plastic chair, repairing a leaking roof as rain fell.

Unclaimed land above Ferdinano’s home suddenly gave way and hit the kitchen wall. The force of the impact threw him off balance. He said he did not realise the landslide was coming because he was concentrating on fixing the leak.

“It was as if I was thrown by the wall. I didn’t hear any rumbling because I was focused on fixing the leak,” Ferdinano said at the scene on Wednesday (28 October 2026).

Veronica came over to help her father, but another wall collapsed and trapped her beneath the rubble. She injured fingers on her right hand and foot, and suffered bruising and pain in her abdomen.

Ferdinano also sustained injuries that left him walking with a slight limp. Nevertheless, he was able to describe the incident, which nearly cost him and his daughter their lives.

Ferdinano said he had lived in the house for 16 years. After the landslide, he stayed with relatives while waiting for the Tabanan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to clear the site.

The landslide also hit two nearby homes, although they were not as badly damaged as Ferdinano’s. The residents of both houses were reported safe and uninjured.

Landslide clean-up hampered by lack of heavy machinery

Workers began clearing landslide debris from residents’ homes, but the operation was hampered by the lack of heavy machinery. Joint response teams and local residents therefore cleared the building debris by hand.

Tabanan BPBD executive head I Nyoman Srinadha Giri estimated that clearing the mud and building debris would take about three days. He said heavy machinery could not be brought in because access to the site was unsuitable.

“We have to do it manually. On the first day, we deployed 10 personnel,” Giri said at the scene on Wednesday (28 October 2026).

Srinadha said the first day’s clean-up was at the home of I Made Fika Aryawan. There, mud and rocks broke through the kitchen wall and spilled into the living room. Work would then continue at the neighbouring home of I Nengah Wardana.

“Mr Ferdinano’s home will be dealt with on Friday. There is a lot of debris, so the clean-up is expected to take quite a while, from morning until afternoon,” Srinadha added.

Srinadha said the landslide was likely caused by unstable ground above the residential area. A prolonged dry season had left the soil dry and porous. When heavy rain fell for an extended period, water eroded the soil’s cavities, triggering the landslide.

“Also, there is a settlement above the land that slipped. The water runs downhill, eroding the soil,” Srinadha said.