Buried for dozens of hours, the bodies of three landslide victims in Garut were found

Landslides were triggered by heavy rain that hit the Garut area from noon until late afternoon with quite intense intensity. It is estimated that the rain lasted for seven hours.

Not long after the landslide, residents together with police and military personnel started searching for the three occupants of the house. They used shovels to dig through the landslide material buried in the house where three residents lived.

Head of Public Relations Section of Garut Police Inspector Susilo Adi revealed that the identities of the victims who died as a result of being buried in a landslide were Lilis (28) and her two children, Dini (3) and Zeni (8). Meanwhile, residents in three other houses are in safe condition.

"The joint search and rescue team found Lilis and Dini at 11:30 AM. Meanwhile, the third victim Zeni was found around 2:00 PM," said Susilo.

Also read: Seven Hours of Rain Triggers Landslides in Garut, Three Residents Have Not Been Found

Deputy Chief of Garut District Police, Kompol Dhoni Erwanto, stated that the evacuation efforts using heavy equipment will start on Friday around 7:00 AM (WIB). The heavy equipment is prepared by the Garut District Public Works and Housing Agency.

He explained that the search efforts involved a joint SAR team consisting of around 100 personnel. The joint SAR team is composed of Garut Police personnel, the TNI (Indonesian military), West Java Brimob (Mobile Brigade), Bandung SAR team, Garut Regional Disaster Management Agency, and several other parties.

He also urged local residents not to engage in activities in areas affected by landslides. This is to avoid subsequent landslides that could endanger the safety of residents.

Increase awareness

The Head of the Bandung Class I Geophysics Station, Teguh Rahayu, explained that the West Java region, including the Greater Bandung area, is currently in the transitional period from the rainy season to the dry season, also known as pancaroba. The current conditions have already entered the beginning of the dry season.

For residents who are conducting outdoor activities, if there is a rain accompanied by thunder and strong wind, immediately move to a safe place and take shelter.

Teguh urged the community to be alert to the potential for bad weather during the transitional period. The impact of bad weather that can occur, such as heavy rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds that could potentially cause tornadoes.

According to data from the West Java Disaster Management Agency, there have been 68 natural disasters from April 1 to April 25, 2024. These 68 events include 28 tornado disasters, 23 landslides, and 17 floods.

Also read: Puting Tornado Occurs Again in Bandung Regency, 61 Houses Damaged

As many as 68 incidents resulted in 237 damaged houses, 3,395 flooded homes, and 1,506 affected residents. Three of them died.

"Be aware of the possibility of disasters such as floods, landslides, and tornadoes. For residents who are active outdoors, if there is rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds, immediately seek shelter in a safe place," said Teguh.