A devastating landslide in Indonesia’s West Java province has tragically claimed at least 25 lives, with dozens more still unaccounted for. Early Saturday morning, heavy rains triggered a torrent of mud and rock in Pasir Langu village, a residential area nestled in the hilly Bandung Barat region, roughly 100km southeast of Jakarta. The disaster buried some 34 homes, forcing around 230 residents to evacuate as their community turned into a landscape of destruction.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with a dedicated 250-member team facing immense challenges. They are tirelessly sifting through tons of earth, often with just farm tools and their bare hands. The unstable, loose ground makes it impossible to deploy heavy machinery, complicating the search for the 72 people reported missing. Teams navigate treacherous terrain where mud mounds reach up to five meters high, carefully extracting victims’ remains from homes buried to their rooftops.
While seasonal rains are a frequent cause of such events in Indonesia, environmental activists are highlighting a more profound problem. They assert that this wasn’t merely a natural disaster, but a tragedy exacerbated by years of environmental degradation. Unchecked land conversion for development, violating crucial land-use regulations in the North Bandung Area – a vital conservation and water-catchment zone – has stripped the region of its natural resilience. This human-induced weakening turned a heavy downpour into a catastrophe.
Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has pledged government action to prevent future disasters, urging local authorities to address unsustainable land conversion. As the search continues, this heartbreaking event serves as a critical warning about the devastating consequences when environmental safeguards are neglected, and a call for urgent, responsible land management across vulnerable regions.
Source: https://www.braidwoodtimes.com.au/story/9160488/death-toll-from-indonesia-landslide-rises-to-17/
