Ten Unidentified Cisarua Landslide Victims Buried in Mass Funeral
The cemetery at Tanah Mati in Kampung Barunyatuh, Pasirlangu Village, Cisarua District, West Bandung District, was filled with hundreds of mourners on Friday, 27 February. The gathering was held to observe the funeral procession for ten landslide victims. Many of those attending were family members of victims who remain officially missing following the disaster that occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 24 January.
The funeral service proceeded solemnly, beginning with the lowering of the bodies from ambulances, the performance of funeral prayers, and finally a mass burial in a single grave approximately 1.7 metres wide and 7 metres long.
West Bandung District Secretary Ade Zakir stated that the ten bodies being buried in the mass grave remain unidentified. Based on examination by the National Police’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, DNA testing of the ten bodies showed no match with DNA samples from residents reported missing in the landslide.
“From the findings of Basarnas [the National Search and Rescue Agency], identification was carried out by the DVI team using various methods, ranging from physical identification to DNA sampling. However, as of yesterday, no DNA samples matched, so they are categorised as unidentified,” Ade stated at the burial site.
Ade reported that 80 residents of Pasirlangu Village were previously reported missing and presumed buried under landslide material. During a three-week search operation, 64 of them were successfully identified.
“64 have been identified. Meanwhile, these 10 bodies remain unidentified and cannot be confirmed as residents of Pasirlangu or otherwise,” he said.
At the grave, gravestones were placed bearing the inscription Post Mortem (PM) with individual numbers. Should new data or evidence emerge in the future, including DNA test results showing a match, the identities on the gravestones will be updated.
“This morning we received the handover of the 10 bodies from Sartika Asih Hospital. Following the handover procedure, the burial took place after Friday prayers,” he explained.
The Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, presented compensation totalling 345 million rupiah to the heirs of 23 Marines from the Indonesian Navy Marine Corps who died in the Cisarua landslide disaster.
The emergency response status for the Pasirlangu landslide in Cisarua District was officially lifted on Friday, 6 February 2026. However, the victim search operation continued.
The search operation for landslide victims in Cisarua, West Bandung District, is confirmed to close on Friday, 6 February. Nevertheless, Basarnas will conduct an evaluation.
The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team successfully identified 57 bodies of victims from the Cisarua landslide in West Bandung District, West Java Province.
A total of 74 body bags were evacuated from the landslide debris. Meanwhile, six other victims remained under search.