Three people die, houses damaged in landslides
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post/Purworejo
Landslides have hit three regencies in Central Java and Yogyakarta, leaving at least three people dead and dozens of houses damaged, officials and residents said on Tuesday.
A 70-year old grandmother, Martini, and her granddaughter, Sangidah, 25, were killed when a landslide buried their house in Guyangan village, Loanu district, Purworejo regency, Central Java.
Another casualty was a one-day-old baby who died after a landslide damaged several houses in Ngakumerto village, Salaman district, Magelang regency, some 40 kilometers from Purworejo. At least 11 houses were damaged in the village.
In Kulonprogo regency, Yogyakarta province, a landslide seriously damaged at least five houses in Samigaluh village. However, there were no reports of injuries or casualties, according to the Antara news agency.
The landslides occurred almost simultaneously between 7 and 8 p.m. on Monday, amid heavy rains along the mountainous areas of Menoreh that border the three regencies.
Martini's 40-year-old son, Sudali, said the landslide in Purworejo followed hours of heavy rain that started at around 2 p.m.
"I heard a sound like that of a helicopter coming towards us and then the landslide swept over house. I only managed to save my wife (Suria, 35) but we lost my mother and my nephew," Sudali said in Guyangan.
At least 20 houses in his village were destroyed or damaged by the disaster, with three of them being buried in three to five meters of mud.
Three other houses were damaged in the neighboring village of Wudal Wejo, some seven kilometers from Guyangan. The road linking the two villages was blocked by a landslide.
Two bulldozers arrived on Tuesday morning from Purworejo to help shift the mud, while local residents, particularly those whose houses were damaged, fled to safer areas.
Local village head Ahmad Mijan said the landslide inflicted material losses of some Rp 600 million (US$65,000) in Guyangan and Wedal Rejo alone.
The Purworejo administration has sent food assistance, including rice and instant noodles, for the victims.
Landslides are rampant across Indonesia during rainy seasons. Environmentalists and officials have often blamed the disasters on deforestation due to widespread illegal logging.
In Riau province, flooding has inundated more than 5,000 houses in three subdistricts in Rumbai district, Pekanbaru, for three days since Saturday.
The flood forced some 400 families to seek refuge, with 200 of them reported to be suffering from diseases. Some villagers have stayed in their homes to save their belongings.
Daily activities in the flooded subdistricts of Meranti Pandak Palas and Sri Meranti came to a standstill with floodwaters reaching two meters high.
Giman, a 30-year old victim, said the current flood was worse than previous years.
"Last year, flooding did not reach my home. But now, the floor of my house was inundated. I could not save all of my furniture and kitchen equipment as the floodwaters arrived so fast," he said.
His neighbor at the Sri Meranti village, Rifai, 49, said many local residents are suffering from skin irritations, diarrhea and other flood-related diseases.
He said the local government had provided some aid but added that it was not enough to meet the daily needs of victims as the disaster has crippled their economic livelihoods.