Landslide kills mother, children in West Java

Nana Rukmana and Yuli Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Majalengka/Bandung, West Java

A mother and her three children were buried alive on Sunday evening after a landslide destroyed their home along with three other houses in Wanahayu village, Majalengka regency, about 50 kilometers south of Cirebon, West Java.

Lilis Saefudin, 32, along with her eldest daughter Fitri, and sons Aji and Fikrie, were immediately killed when a portion of the hill behind their house turned into a river of mud during heavy rains. Local police, Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel and local residents could not do much to save the victims, as the landslide occurred in the evening during a blackout.

Lilis' husband, Empud Saefudin, suffered only slight injuries because he was not in the house when the disaster occurred.

"I was repairing the water channel to my fish pond. I was trapped in the mud, but my neighbors rescued me after I called for help," he told The Jakarta Post.

Majalengka Regent Tuti Hayati Anwar ordered the evacuation of 70 Wanahayu families, while she cautioned another 825 families to prepare for the worst, as the rainy season will last another couple of months.

Another landslide also occurred in nearby Citondo village and damaged five houses, but no fatalities were reported.

Meanwhile Ahmad Djumarma, head of the West Java Volcanology and Geological Disaster Management, said his office had listed the two villages in Majalengka regency as landslide-prone. Local residents had also been advised to stay alert during the rainy season.

"Landslides have hit the area several times already, and the area is classified as 'yellow' for high alert against landslides," said Ahmad.