At the scene of the disaster, the house of victim Poly Noya, 60, suffered the worst damage after three large boulders rolled down a hill behind their house at 11 p.m. and destroyed five houses in the area.

Only the front wall of Poly’s house and his kitchen, located away from the main house, remained intact, while the rest was destroyed.

When the disaster struck, Poly, a fireman with the Ambon Fire Department, was asleep with his 9-month-old grandson Dede Noya. His wife, 58-year-old Mery Noya, was watching television in the living room with their two children, a grandchild and daughter-in-law.

When the boulders came rolling down the hill and smashed into the house, none of the inhabitants were able to flee to safety.

“Only my father-in-law’s pet dog Simba is alive,” Poly’s daughter-in-law Minda Siwabessy, who lives in another house, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Minda said her husband Febry Noya was nearly killed in the landslide as he was at the house to borrow shoes from his brother Herman Noya. But he returned to his own house, located some 300 meters away, just in time when his younger brother-in-law came and told him the tragic news.

“My husband is still in a state of shock. He is at home and refuses to speak,” Minda said.

She added that her parents-in-law’s house was located on a hill and that “the house was built in 1973 and there has never been a disaster there in the 36 years”.

Four other residents were also injured in the incident: Rita Kili-Kili, Simons Alfons, Joshua Kili-Kili and Ona Alfaons.

Simons and Rita sustained the worst injuries and are undergoing intensive treatment at Dr. Haulussy General Hospital in Ambon. The other two have returned home. They are all from the same family.

“The landslide that caused the boulders to fall down the hill was triggered by heavy rain on Tuesday. Our home is severely damaged. Only the porch and guest room were spared,” area resident Renold Alfons said.

He expressed hope the government would immediately provide assistance to those affected by the disaster.

“For now, we cannot live here because it is no longer inhabitable,” he said.

Maluku Public Works Agency head Antony Sihaloho told the Post at the disaster scene that his office would provide assistance to victims through the natural disaster response fund.

“We will immediately rebuild their homes. We distributed relief aid today, including food and medicine,” he said.

The relevant agencies have set up a disaster mitigation post close to the disaster area. Volunteers have also arrived at the scene to distribute aid to survivors.

On June 13, landslides in Ambon killed two toddlers and damaged at least 35 homes in a number of hilly areas in the city.

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