Three killed in landslide in two Lampung villages
Three killed in landslide in two Lampung villages
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung
Following heavy rains, a landslide swept through the villages of
Gunung Megang and Tekad in Pulau Panggung district, Tanggamus
regency, Lampung, late on Friday, killing three people.
The bodies of the victims, identified as A. Rifai, Mairin and
Mujiono, have been recovered.
The daughter of Mujiono, Indah Sari, 15, said a 150-meter tall
hill behind her house collapsed, burying the house and killing
her father and the other two victims.
Indah escaped the incident with just minor injuries.
The two villages are located in remote areas of Lampung
province, so news of the incident was slow to reach officials and
rescue workers.
Tanggamus Regent Fauzan Sya'i said on Saturday he would
immediately dispatch help to the villages, and voiced concern of
further landslides.
He warned Tanggamus residents, especially those living along
the coast in Kotaagung to remain alert for possible storms in the
area.
On March 13 and March 14, storms and big waves hit the coast
in Kotaagung. No causalities were reported but five fishing boats
were destroyed.
The head of Kotaagung district, M. Shobir Thoyib, and
Kotaagung Police chief First Insp. Suwaryo said they would
continue to monitor the situation along the coast.
"We will not evacuate residents because the storms are not
that strong. If the storm and the waves reach the Dermaga III
dock we will begin to evacuate residents, especially those living
along the coast," he said.
Strong winds have been reported several times over the last
month in parts of Lampung. Last week, hundreds of houses in
Lampung Timur were damaged by fierce winds. Although no
casualties have been reported, the winds have caused material
losses.
In Kotaagung, many fishermen are reluctant to go to sea since
the storm last week. Some families who fled their homes because
of the storm have now returned.
The head of Lampung's meteorology and geophysics office,
Bambang Setyanto, warned of possible storms in the coming days.
"Fishermen and residents should be careful because strong
winds of 30 knots, or 54 kilometers per hour, are destructive in
nature," Bambang said.
He said satellite images showed a great deal of cloud coverage
in the area.