A landslide tragedy in West Java was made worse after a second mudslide took place while rescuers were searching for survivors, leading to 11 confirmed deaths, 18 injured as reported by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB).
BNPB reported that the initial landslide took place on a 20 meter tall cliff, which slid along for 40 meters at 4:00 PM Saturday night. The emergency was made worse three and a half hours later when a second landslide took place, causing fatality and injuries among rescue workers who were helping victims.
Latest reported deathtoll
Indonesia Landslide Deathtoll Rises from Buried First Responders
The death toll stands at 11 AM on Sunday morning as reported by BNPB with 3 sustaining serious injuries and another 15 minor injuries. According to the local rescue team Sumedang District Disaster Management Agency (BPBD)'s knowledge, many more are expected to be buried in the rubble.
Thanks to the effort of the emergency response, 150 residence were successfully evacuated from the affected area, and are currently under BNPB and BPBD's care.
Among the fatalities, Infantry Captain Setio Pribadi and the Head of the Emergency and Logistics Section of the BPBD Sumedang are among the victims to the second landslide as they were the responders to the first.
Disaster management board head: More trees need to be planted
Head of Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management Doni Monardo expressed condolence to the victims of this disaster, especially to the officers who gave their lives to the disaster.
Monardo also urged the many Indonesian residents living on slope areas to plant trees, as the practice of vegetable planting leads to the loosening of the soil, and during heavy rain - which has been blamed for this recent landslide - will cause serious erosion that can lead to catastrophe.
Sharp increase in Indonesia landslides since 2019
According to a published report on Statista, there has been a sharp increase in landslides in Indonesia in 2019 compared with previous years, which accounted for more than 10% of the total natural disaster occurrences in the Southeast Asian nation.
This latest landslide tragedy in West Java took place merely a week after another landslide that left more than 60 dead in Indonesia's capital, according to the AHA Centre which caused a reported 36,000 people displaced from their homes.