TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of Center and Information of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that the cause of subsidence on Jalan Gubeng in Surabaya had nothing to do with earthquake or Waru fault.

Jalan Gubeng collapsed on Wednesday morning, December 19. The Surabaya fault and Waru are active faults that pass through Surabaya and a number of other areas in East Java.

Sutopo, through his official Twitter account, assumed the cause of Jalan Gubeng’s subsidence was due to a construction error.

“The road retaining wall is not able to withstand the burden,” Sutopo said via his Twitter account, @Sutopo_PN, Wednesday, December 19.

Sutopo also uploaded two photos showing Jalan Gubeng before and after the subsidence. It was taken from the air, showing the construction work next to Jalan Gubeng. According to Sutopo, the comparison of the photo shows that the excavation wall is not strong enough to withstand the weight of the wall near the road. In addition, the vibration of the vehicle causes the ground to sink.

Jalan Gubeng, precisely around Siloam Hospital or near the BNI Gubeng branch office, Jalan Sumatera, suddenly collapsed with a depth of about 15-20 meters and a width of 25-30 meters. The police began to examine several witnesses regarding the subsidence on Jalan Gubeng.

M ROSSENO AJI