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Jakarta Post

Five bodies recovered, many more missing

The search and rescue team recovered five more bodies on Friday from the tea plantation landslide location in Ciwidey, Bandung regency, bringing the total fatalities to 30

The Jakarta Post (The Jakarta Post)
Sat, February 27, 2010

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Five bodies recovered, many more missing

T

he search and rescue team recovered five more bodies on Friday from the tea plantation landslide location in Ciwidey, Bandung regency, bringing the total fatalities to 30.

Officials feared there were at least 27 more people still buried under the mud.

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan said his administration has worked together with the Energy and Mineral Eesources Ministry's geology team to disseminate information on which areas were prone to landslides.

"Once we have the information, we will invite the body to explain to mayors and regents what to do when landslides occur and the precautionary steps," he said, as quoted by vivanews.com.

The governor said the search and rescue team would work for 14 days to look for remaining victims.

Tuesday's landslide destroyed 21 houses and part of a tea plantation, causing an estimated Rp 5 billion (US$536,000) in damage.

Survivors have taken refugee at Cisondari village, about 32 kilometers from the location. Some of them, however, were picked up by their relatives to move in with them.

"At least 408 people are now staying at three different villages nearby," Pasir Jambu district official Kosasih said.

Deni Gunawan, secretary of Tenjolaya village, said many survivors had taken refuge at his village.

"They will be traumatized if they still stay nearby the landslide location. They said they, mostly women and children, couldn't sleep and felt uneasy every time they saw the mud," he said.

Bandung regency health agency head, Ahmad Kustiadi, said that his office has requested three tons of biscuits for toddlers from the health ministry.

"We still have enough *biscuits* but we have already asked for more as a precaution," he said.

The health agency has also deployed paramedics to help refugees.

"There are eight doctors, nurses and paramedics taking charge around the clock," Kustiadi added.

The management of Bandung-based Hasan Sadikin Hospital has prepared its team to help survivors, especially children, to deal with the trauma.

"We are preparing standard medicines to help survivors cope with insomnia or stress," said the hospital psychiatry division head Teddy Hidayat, as quoted by detik.com.

"So far, we haven't been able to handle disaster survivors well. We usually deal with the first days after the disaster takes place but without further support. It's supposed to be the local administration's duty *to deal with it*. We can only help *survivors* deal with their trauma," he added.

The Social Services Ministry will hand to their families over Rp 2.5 million in respect of each victim lost in the landslide.

"The government will hand over Rp 2.5 million for each fatality but the aid will be given once we get data and information from the police," ministry director general for aid and social guarantees Toto Utomo Budi Santoso said, as quoted by kompas.com, on Thursday.

Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono - who visited the area with Vice President Boediono on Wednesday - had said the tea plantation should be responsible for the landslide.

He said the government would investigate PT Cakra, the company that owns the Perkebunan Teh Dewata plantation, on the landslide.

After surveying the disaster area, he questioned whether the land clearing practices at the 300-hectare hillside farm were to blame. The company could be prosecuted if land clearing was excessive.

"The company should be held responsible and there needs to be an investigation into why it happened," Agung was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

"I've seen many tea plantations; it could have happened because of deforestation," he added.

PT Cakra owner Teguh Kustiono blamed a magnitude 7.0 earthquake last September for weakening the hillside. That quake triggered a landslide nearby that killed 64.

"We think that the landslide was triggered by cracks in the forest floor caused by that earthquake," Kustiono said, as quoted by AP.

Besides intensive search and rescue efforts, survivors still fear further landslides in the area.

Pasir Jambu village secretary Syaiful Bachri said that villagers expected the government to immediately take action in a bid to anticipate further landslides.

With 27 victims remaining under the mud, the landslide has been the deadliest disaster this year.

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