Seven killed, two missing in Semarang landslide

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

At least seven people were killed and two were injured following a landslide in Lempongsari, Gajahmungkur subdistrict, Semarang on Saturday.

The bodies of four of the dead, who were initially buried by the landslide, have been recovered and identified as Hartini, 50, Nanik, 35, Ayu, 25, and Yayah, 94.

Meanwhile, three others -- Aisyiyah and her two daughters Putri, 5, and 13-month-old Fonny -- were listed as missing late Saturday as rescue workers, with the aid of local people, were still digging in search of their bodies.

The two of the injured were identified as Ngatiyem Sunardi, 63, and Wahyu Rintayadi, 23. They were allowed to go home after being treated for injuries to their legs and hands at Karyadi General Hospital.

According one witness, the incident occurred when a 5,000- square-meter upper plateau on which a group of luxury homes stood, slid down on top of five other houses below.

"We figured that an airplane must have crashed because of the horrifying sound," Bowo, a local resident, told The Jakarta Post. He added that the landslide might have been triggered by heavy rains on Friday night.

The landslide took place only about 200 meters away from the Central Java governor's office in the city.

Aisyah's husband Joni said that, for him, the sad irony of the tragedy lay in the fact that it took place only a day before the couple had planned to move out of the area.

"We sold the house to Andi Sulistyo, the owner of a luxury house, and planned to move into our new house on Sunday," he said.

Central Java Provincial police chief Insp. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng asked residents not to blame each other for the incident, as no one was found to be responsible for the disaster by authorities.

Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip said that the municipal administration would relocate all residents to other areas because the hilly area was still prone to more landslides.

"For the time being, all residents in the area will be asked to move, or stay in buildings prepared by the city administration before they are resettled in other subdistricts," he said.

The landslide was the second to hit the area in recent days. Last week, another landslide destroyed 34 housing units in the Srondol section of the city.