The Brebes regency administration has declared a state of emergency for two weeks after a landslide struck Pasir Panjang village on Thursday at 8 a.m.
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Kompas/Megandika Wicaksono
Five people were killed and 16 others were being searched for following a landslide in Pasir Panjang village, Salem district, Brebes regency, Central Java, on Thursday (22/2) at 8 p.m. The landslide affected around 7 hectares of land and blocked nearby roads.
BREBES, KOMPAS — TheBrebes regency administration, Central Java, has declared a state of emergency for two weeks after a landslide struck Pasir Panjang village, in Salem district, 37 kilometers south of central Brebes, on Thursday at 8 a.m. The state of emergency was declared to respond to the impacts of the landslide and to anticipate further landslides.
As of Thursday night, the number of dead victims had risen to five people, while 16 others were still missing, possibly buried under the debris. The rescue effort was halted because of heavy rain that could trigger further landslides.
“I was in the rice field with my husband just about to plant seeds. Suddenly, there was a thundering sound from the hill and the land was sliding rapidly,” said Watirah, 50, a survivor who received treatment at Bentar Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in Salem along with her husband Minarto, 60. Watirah attempted to run to escape from the landslide but fell and was partly buried under the debris. “Fortunately, someone was there to pull my and my husband’s hands so that both of us were safe,” said Watirah, who suffered bruises on her shoulder and legs. Minarto received cuts on his face and bruises on his legs.
Another survivor, Dadang, 45, said the morning was bright and there were no signs something would happen. “I was shocked that the land suddenly slid so fast from the hill. I ran about 100 meters and was buried from the chest down,” he said.
Pasir Panjang village secretary Arie Sumiarsa said there had been heavy rain in Salem in recent weeks, but nobody thought a landslide would occur from Cipangrudan Forest on the hill belonging to state forestry company Perhutani, known as Mount Lio. “There was no rain this morning and the weather was bright. Many residents started activities in the rice field,” Arie said.
Search continues for 16 residents
From data collected by village apparatus, the five fatalities were Karsini, 66, Casto, 40, Wati, 80, Radem, 59 and Kiswan alias Tewol, 45. Sixteen people have been reported as missing after residents reported that the whereabouts of their family members were unknown. “Aside from farmers, a motorcyclist and a car were buried. They usually took the route to go to the market,” Arie said.
The residents reported as still missing include Rasminah, Turkiah, Haryanto, Sarmah, Dastip, Daswa, Tarsinah, Sujono, Kusanto, Rustam, Ajid, Casti, Marsu’i, Wartinah, Wahyu and Suwirso. The landslide also injured 14 people, with most suffering bruises to the head, body and legs. They also suffered from breathing problems and wounds. The number of missing people was initially reported as 18 people but after clarification the number was reduced to 16.
Brebes Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Eko Andalas said the width of the landslide was 300-500 meters with the debris sliding three km. “The area affected by the landslide was around 6-7 hectares. The material buried around 3 hectares of rice fields. The debris also buried the road connecting Salem to Banjarharjo district and buried the road in Pasir Panjang village,” Eko said.
Brebes regent Idza Priyanti said the local administration had allocated Rp 5 billion for the disaster response budget and had coordinated with the central government and provincial administration. Currently, the response activity is focused on the search for the missing people, medical treatment and humanitarian work for the 600 evacuees.
“We also anticipate that further landslides might happen. Heavy rains continue and the land was moving in some spots,” he said.
For that reason, he asked residents not to go near areas prone to landslide. Residents living in those areas were asked to evacuate to available locations.
Idza said aside from Pasir Panjang village, landslides had also hit several spots nearby. Such a situation makes disaster response activities difficult.
He said the hilly southern part of Brebes was prone to landslides. The areas include the districts of Salem, Sirampog and Bantarkawung.
Meanwhile, of the 14 injured, nine were still being treated at Puskemas Salem, two at Majenang Hospital and one at Banyumas Hospital. Majenang Hospital general affairs head Dedi said that the victims referred to the hospital suffered from wounds caused by the debris.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the search and rescue effort would be carried out over the next seven days. “The landslide occurred when the sky was bright. However, Salem saw heavy rain in the past few days,” he said.
Kompas/Megandika Wicaksono
Watirah, 50, and Minarto, 60, the survivors of a landslide in Pasir Panjang village, Salem, Brebes, on Thursday (22/2) are being treated at Puskesmas Bentar, Salem, Brebes. Five people were killed, while 16 others remain missing following the landslide.
Water saturation
Gadjah Mada University landslide expert Faisal Farhani said the landslide in Brebes was possibly caused by a saturation of the soil from rainwater.
So, even though there was no rain when the landslide occurred, the land was already saturated with water. “This kind of landslide is common at the end of the rainy season, February through March,” he said.
Faisal said there were two types of landslides. First was the collapse of a mountain’s slope because of heavy rain where the slope was steep and dominated by sand. The volume of landslide was usually minimal to medium with high speed and was normally without symptoms, making early warning systems ineffective.
The next category are landslides that occur because the land becomes saturated. This kind of landslide commonly occurred on slops dominated by clay. Normally, the volume of landslide was bigger with slow to medium speed. Usually, there were signs such as cracks on the ground that could be monitored by an early warning system.
In addition to Pasir Panjang village, landslides occurred in two locations on the road connecting Bandungsari and Salem, including in Sindangheula village, Banjarharjo district. Half of the six-meter wide road was buried.
Sindangheula village is the southernmost area of Banjarharjo district, and Pasir Panjang village in Salem district. The peak of Mount Lio, which is a tourist destination, borders the two villages. Yesterday, heavy rain hit the area from 3 p.m. and continued throughout the night.
