The landslide in Pasir Panjang village in the district of Salem, Brebes regency, Central Java, left survivors and their families with deep wounds.
By
ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA, MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO
·4 minutes read
The landslide in Pasir Panjang village in the district of Salem, Brebes regency, Central Java, left survivors and their families with deep wounds. The mudslide from the slopes of the hills, commonly known as Mount Lio, rolled swiftly like a tsunami that buried the residents in an instant.
Signs of fear were still clearly seen on the face of Rukmini, 57. The moment she faced the deadly landslide will forever be etched in her memory. If she had hesitated for one instant the outcome would have been different.
On Thursday at around 8:00 a.m., Rukmini was about to cross the Cipangurudan River in Pasir Panjang village to plant rice. A few meters before reaching the north side of the river, she was surprised by a roar emanating from the hills. "Like the sound of a plane that is about to fall," she said.
Within seconds, Rukmini saw the rolling landslide that was more than five meters high. Only about 15 meters away, the pile was pouring down as if to gobble her up. She started running to a nearby rice field that was on high ground.
After reaching it, Rukmini immediately laid flat on her back. "I was so weak I couldn’t even shout as the rocks rolled over me," she said.
After the landslide eventually stopped, Rukmini limped towards her home. She managed to reach it safely. Her relatives thought she was dead. "My husband was still looking for me when I arrived home. At home, I didn’t go anywhere, just kept quiet. I\'m scared," she said softly.
Unexpected
A disaster always leaves the families of victims with a deep sadness. On Friday morning, Rusyanto Ahmad, 62, sat alone on the terrace of his house. He had just received news that his wife Carki, 53, had died at a hospital in Majenang, Cilacap regency, after being hit by the landslide.
On Thursday morning, Carki went first to the rice field to plant rice. Rusyanto later followed her. However, a few minutes before leaving he heard a roar and felt the ground vibrating.
With a rush, Rusyanto ran out of the house and followed people to the rice field. "My wife was injured," he said. Despite being injured, the woman he was married to for 42 years was still conscious. She was eventually taken to a nearby health center in Bantar. However, her wounds were quite serious -- almost all of her ribs were broken. To make matters worse, her lungs were filled with mud. Carki was then referred to the public hospital in Majenang.
The life of his wife, who gave him two children, could not be saved because her condition continued to deteriorate. It was hard for Rusyanto to accept the death of his faithful companion.
Last week, Rusyanto became concerned when he noticed that the Cipangurudan River had become cloudy and brownish.
"Usually, even during the rains, the condition of the river was not as bad as that. There was something happening with the land, but I never thought there would be a big landslide," he said.
Among the survivors of the landslide in the village of Bantar Panjang, which is surrounded by hills, is Tarmah, 53, who was holding the hand of her husband Mulyono, 56, who was lying limply in a bed in the public health center in Bantar.
Her husband was left traumatized after being buried under debris.
"Last night, I dreamt that I was being carried away by the rolling avalanches in the rice field," said Mulyono in a choked voice.
On the morning of the incident, he was on his way to the rice field to dry firewood by the side of the road. When he was just about to finish arranging the wood, fast-flowing mud cascaded from Mount Lio. "It was so fast. Suddenly, my surroundings became like a mud pond," said Mulyono who suffered bruises on some parts of his body.
He panicked and tried to swim in the mud. In the midst of the muddy pound, which also contained rocks and fallen trees, Mulyono continued to crawl as far as 50 meters to survive. "I kept tumbling and swallowed lots of water," the farmer said.
The landslide, which flowed down from the 700-meter high hill, continued until Friday, killing seven residents and leaving 13 missing. It also cut off roads. The landslide swept a path that was 3 kilometers long in an area that covered 12.5 hectares.
Brebes Regent Idza Priyanti said the landslide was the largest in at least five years. The location of the disaster is in an area prone to landslides. The main priority of disaster management is looking for missing victims. However, after that, people living in the vulnerable zone are set to be relocated to other areas.