Seach and rescue workers find 15 bodies in landslide

PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): Search and rescue workers on Friday discovered another eight bodies under thick mud that engulfed a residential area in Seberang Palinggan subdistrict in an overnight landslide.

Rescuers on Thursday already found seven bodies, thus raising the number of deaths to 15.

Eyewitnesses said two of the bodies were torn apart.

The rescuers managed to identify 10 of the bodies. They were 15-month-old Rifwan, Puout, 4, Selvi, 5, Nando, 5, Eno, 5, Yan, 7, Feni, 33, Yustinus, 35, Susi, 21, and Duhu Arogea, 35.

Residents and the rescue workers estimate that about 50 people are still missing.

Reports made available at an emergency post at Jabal Tsur mosque on Friday said most of the victims were migrant families from Nias, North Sumatra.

Hatison Saluhu, leader of the Nias community in the subdistrict told The Jakarta Post that several families were still missing.

"The Samius family of six, the five Ama Desis, the nine Maslims and seven members of Yunus Zai's family are still missing," Saluhu said. He added that three Nias men, identified as Gea, Yustinus and Ndaha, were also unaccounted for.

The residential area is located at the foot of Lantiak hill in South Padang.

The cause of the landslide is unknown.

The meteorology and geophysics agency in Lubuk Mata Kucing reported there was less rain in the area prior to the landslide. It also said no tremor was felt at the time.

Oyon Anwar, one of the survivors, likened the landslide to a plane crash.

Mansyur, another survivor, said he saw a neighbor being run over by a speeding wall of mud when drying clothes on clothesline in front of the house.

Rescue workers are still searching for victims, though they assume that those declared missing are dead.

However, Padang Mayor Zuiyen Rais, who inspected the search and rescue operation, said there was no plan to halt the mission. Zuiyen was accompanied by local police chief Lt. Col. Estuning Widayat.

Members of Yudha Sakti Battalion 133 from the local military command and Mobile Brigade police personnel were also fielded to help the rescue workers.

Meanwhile, dozens of houses were submerged in floodwater in Padang Bulan Lingkungan VII subdistrict in the North Sumatra capital of Medan on Friday.

Floodwater spilling over from Babura River also inundated hundreds of other buildings along the river. No fatalities were reported. The floods occurred before dawn.

Heavy downpour in Medan since Thursday apparently caused the Babura and Deli rivers to spill over. Buildings close to Deli River were also flooded.

A rescue team, with the aid of members of the Mobile Brigade, helped the flood victims. (28/39/sur)