SAR Team Recovers Second Victim's Body from Grand Polonia Explosion in Medan
The Joint SAR Team discovered a victim of the explosion at the Grand Polonia housing complex in Suka Damai Village, Medan Polonia District, Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday (21/7). This is the second victim found deceased beneath the rubble.
The female victim was located at 15:40 WIB, according to Hery Marantika, Head of the Medan Class A Search and Rescue Office. He confirmed the victim had been evacuated and taken to Columbia Asia Hospital Medan for identification by the authorities. The victim’s identity was still being verified at the time of reporting.
He explained that SRU I used a thermal drone to search for and identify victims around the site. SRU II conducted search and evacuation using the Area Search Rescue (ASR) 1 method over a wider area. SRU III combed priority points using the ASR 3 method with extrication equipment. Meanwhile, SRU IV evacuated rubble material with the support of a crane, fire department ladder truck, and excavator to open access to points where victims were suspected to be located.
Based on provisional data, of the seven people at the location during the incident, four survived, two have been found dead, and one person is still being searched for. The survivors of the Grand Polonia explosion include Jeavelin, a two-year-old girl, Hasan, a driver, and a courier whose identity is still being verified. The deceased victim found on the second day has been identified as Jesika, aged 36.
Hery assured that the search process for the Grand Polonia explosion victims is being carried out to the maximum, prioritising personnel safety. He noted that the building structure remains unstable and is at risk of further collapse.
Hery said the joint SAR team is utilising equipment such as thermal drones and extrication tools to accelerate the search process. Deployed equipment includes a rescue truck, double cabin rescue car, thermal drone, crane, fire department ladder truck, excavator, dozer, extrication equipment, mountaineering equipment, medical equipment, communications equipment, lighting, and an ambulance.
According to Hery, the operational terrain carries a fairly high level of risk due to the large amount of unstable building material. Therefore, every stage of the evacuation is conducted with extreme care to ensure personnel safety while maximising the chances of finding victims.
The search process for the Grand Polonia explosion victims in Medan has also faced several obstacles. Hery explained that access to the site is narrow and there is a large amount of building material prone to subsequent collapse. Hery added that the success in finding another victim on the second day was the result of cooperation from all joint SAR elements who have worked non-stop since the operation began. They are currently focused on finding the one victim still reported missing.
‘The Joint SAR Team continues the search process by optimising all available resources until all victims are found,’ he stated.