Seach and rescue workers find 15 bodies in landslide

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)