TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 14 people died as a result of being buried by landslides in Tana Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi Province, which was triggered by torrential rains in the region with unstable soil conditions on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 22:30 WITA (Central Indonesia Time).

Abdul Muhari, Head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said that the incident occurred at two points, namely Lembang Randan Batu Village in South Makale District and Manggau Village in Makale District.

Based on reports compiled by the agency’s operations control center on Sunday, April 14, three residents died and one person was reported missing in South Makale District, while 11 people died and two people were injured in Makale District.

“The interim rapid assessment report noted material losses caused by this landslide, including three house units in Makale District and one house unit in South Makale District buried by landslide material,” Muhari said in a written statement on Sunday.

Until now, the Tana Toraja Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in tandem with the search and rescue team is still searching for one missing resident. The agency’s rapid response team has also been conducting emergency operations.

According to Muhari, the joint team encountered several obstacles, including poor weather as the moderate-heavy rain persisted, difficult terrain given the highland area, and lack of lighting at night.

The landslides, which affected several roads leading to Makale District, also prevented the emergency team's vehicles from passing, forcing them to walk to reach the affected areas. “The most urgent needs of the joint team so far are heavy equipment to open access roads and ambulances to evacuate victims,” Muhari underlined.

IRSYAN HASYIM (CONTRIBUTOR)

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