Eleven people were killed in a landslide in an illegal coal mining area in Tan-jung Lalang village, Tanjung Agung district, Muara Enim regency, South Sumatra on Wednesday (21/10/2020).
By
Rhama Purna Jati
·4 minutes read
MUARA ENIM, KOMPAS — Eleven people were killed in a landslide in an illegal coal mining area in Tanjung Lalang village, Tanjung Agung district, Muara Enim regency, South Sumatra on Wednesday (21/10/2020). The evacuation process was hampered by soil and debris up to 5 meters deep.
Tanjung Agung police chief Adjunct Commissioner Faisal Manalu said the landslide occurred around 4 p.m. At that time, the 11 people who were killed in the incident had been making a road in an illegal coal mining area.
"In the middle of their work, a landslide occurred, immediately burying the people who were working there," said Faisal.
The area around the mining site is hilly with steep cliffs, making it prone to landslides.
"When the disaster happened, it wasn\'t raining. However, the area is prone to landslides so the risk of accidents is quite high,” Faisal said.
After receiving the information about the landslide, said Faisal, the police and other related officials immediately prepared a search and rescue mission. The evacuation process was constrained by the volume of soil and debris. In addition to assistance by local residents, heavy equipment belonging to the miners was also used to carry out the evacuation.
With the use of heavy equipment, the evacuation was completed about one hour after the incident. All 11 victims were found dead under the debris. Their bodies were taken to the Tanjung Agung community health center (Puskesmas) for identification.
The head of emergency management at the South Sumatra Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Ansori, said mining activities in the area were very risky because they were not protected by adequate safety systems commonly used in mining areas owned by legal mining companies.
"Not to mention safety; just getting into the area is very difficult because it is usually very remote and mining activities are carried out discreetly ,” he said.
Livelihoods
Most of the victims were residents of Tanjung Agung district. They had been conducting mining activities in the area for a long time. Two of the victims hailed from Central Java and Lampung.
"Some of the bodies have been picked up by their relatives and then buried," said Faizal.
A number of witnesses have been asked to collect evidence and provide a chronology of the incident.
Illegal mining activities in Tanjung Lalang village, according to Faisal, had been going on for a long time. The dissemination of information on the dangers of illegal mining are often carried out in the area. However, the people still continue illegal mining activities even though the risks of landslides are very high.
"This activity is difficult to eliminate because it is one of the main livelihoods for local residents," he said.
Previously, the Tanjung Agung police had attempted to coordinate with other parties to create regulations related to mining.
In the future, Faisal continued, the dissemination of information on the dangers of the illegal mining and control over their activities would be intensified so that such incidences would not occur again.
Currently, South Sumatra is transitioning from the dry to rainy season. At such a time, according to Ansori, the risks of landslides are very high because the soil is unstable.
For this reason, he had asked the local government to immediately take preventive measures so that similar incidences would not occur again.
"I hope the community will be given directives so as not to carry out mining activities anymore. Even if they are forced to do so, they must be protected with adequate safety equipment, ”said Ansori.
The South Sumatra Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency had earlier warned of the risks of a hydrometeorological disaster in a number of regions. In general, the South Sumatra region is expected to experience heavy rain in November, including in the Muara Enim area, with an intensity of up to 400 millimeters (Kompas, 20/10/2020).
However, preventive measures against the dangers and risks of natural disasters due to high rainfall should have been carried out since the transition of the current season. Moreover, a number of areas in South Sumatra, especially in the Bukit Barisan range, are often hit by landslides and heavy rains.
The extreme weather during the transition of seasons can be in the form of strong winds, tornadoes and sporadic heavy rains. (RAM)