TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) continues to comb nine missing residents in the areas hit by recent landslides in Purworejo and Kebumen, Central Java. “Six of them are in Purworejo and three others are in Kebumen,” the Head of BNPB Information Data Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Tempo on Thursday, June 23, 2016.
Heavy equipment had been deployed to search the victims. Some 300 personnel of joint search and rescue team had also been deployed in each location. However, onlookers had been hampering the search.
Earlier, several people had already been found. To date, 56 had been found dead, nine still missing and 22 wounded.
According to Sutopo, the landslide has forced 395 residents to leave their homes.
As many as 143 homes had been damaged: 63 homes had been heavily damaged, 38 homes sustained moderate damage, and 42 homes had minor damage. Damage to homes and infrastructure from floods and landslides in Purworejo District was estimated at Rp15.7 billion.
Meanwhile, six people were killed by landslide in Banjarnegara, all of whom have been found. Whereas five were killed by floods and landslides in Kebumen, and three had been buried in a landslide. One were killed by floods in Rembang, Sukoharjo and Banyumas, respectively.
People whose house had been buried by landslide and sustained heavy damage were planned to be relocated to safer areas. The relocation will be carried out after a comprehensive dialogue with the residents so they can stay in safer homes.
AVIT HIDAYAT