Landslides kill 58 in Banten province
JAKARTA (JP): Landslides resulting from persistent rainfall in Lebak regency, Banten, have claimed 58 lives over the past three days, Antara reported on Saturday.
The news agency said that at least 5,695 families living in 10 districts in the regency were left homeless and thousands of hectares of crop fields were destroyed by flooding.
Lebak Situ village in Cipanas subdistrict was the worst hit, with landslides killing 36 people. Its neighboring village, Lebak Gedong, recorded 16 fatalities in the disaster.
The disaster killed at least four people in Cikoneng subdistrict in Sajiro district.
Another two deaths were reported in Muncak district. Some residents there said they discovered two bodies beneath the mud on Friday afternoon, but no official statement has been issued by the local disaster management coordination board regarding the reports.
On Saturday flooding subsided in most of the affected areas which covered 10 out of 19 districts across the regency.
Water levels in flood-stricken areas in Jakarta also subsided on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a body was found floating in the Mati River in Cawang subdistrict, East Jakarta. Police identified the dead man as Afrizal, 22, a resident of nearby Kampung Pulo subdistrict. An autopsy conducted on the body revealed that Afrizal sustained stomach cramps before drowning in the turbulent river.
The first landslide in Lebak took place on Thursday at around 8 a.m., sweeping through Lebak Gedong. Another slide hit the district some four hours later. On Friday a landslide struck Lebak Situ and Muncak.
Antara said the landslide victims in Lebak Situ included seven traditional gold quarriers from the Cisoka and Sampay hamlets, who were buried in mud which engulfed them while they were working. Locals did not expect the slide as rainfall levels were not extraordinary for this time of year.
Cipanas district head Endang Dakuruni said all bodies had been evacuated and buried by their respective families. Residents of the landslide-hit areas have also been asked to abandon their houses and evacuate the areas as a safety precaution.
"This disaster has never affected the regency before, so many people would not assume that a landslide might occur," Endang said.
Head of the regency social affairs office Eri Rachmat said on Saturday heavy equipment had been dispatched to remove the mud. Rubber dinghies have also been sent to flood-hit areas to evacuate survivors.
The regency administration has received humanitarian assistance worth Rp 5.5 million (around US$579), Eri said.
"We call for extensive public participation in providing humanitarian aid for people suffering from the disaster," he said. (04/amd)