Rescue teams halt search for landslide victims in Sulawesi
Rescue teams halt search for landslide victims in Sulawesi
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Using shovels and hoes, rescue workers dug through tons of mud on
Saturday for victims of a landslide that killed at least one
person and left 32 others missing in Gowa regency, South
Sulawesi.
However, the rescue workers from Hasanuddin University in
Makassar, the Gowa Police, the Indonesian Red Cross and the Army
halted their search later in the day, as hope faded for finding
alive any of the victims buried under mud.
"We are now focusing on looking for residents who may be
hiding up on the slopes (of Bawakaraeng mountain) or in the
forest because they can still be rescued," Gowa Police chief Adj.
Sr. Comr. Syamsuddin Yunus said.
"It is very difficult to find any of the buried victims
because the mud is very thick and rescue workers lack equipment,"
police officer Parengrenge was quoted by Agence France-Presse as
saying.
A man's body was found and two injured women were discovered
in the forest on Saturday. At least 32 others are still missing
and are feared dead.
The landslide on Friday destroyed at least 10 houses and one
elementary school, about 150 hectares of rice fields, 364
hectares of land dedicated to reforestation and some 600 heads of
livestock.
Syamsuddin said the area was still dangerous because of the
threat of further landslides.
Local official Muhammad Guntur said between 2,500 and 3,000
residents had been evacuated because of the possibility of more
landslides.
One resident said the landslide on Friday occurred after an
explosion was heard near Mount Bawakaraeng.
"My friends and I were tending our cattle about 100 meters
from where the explosion occurred. I immediately ran into the
forest because I was already being sprayed with rocks and dirt,"
Baco said.
Landslides are common across the country during the rainy
season, particularly in those areas that have been affected by
illegal logging. The landslide in Gowa followed a week of heavy
rain.
In November, more than 200 people died when a flash flood
swept through the Bukit Lawang resort in North Sumatra.