No survivors found in landslide
2006-01-05 11:45
Jakarta - Rescuers searched through thick mud on Thursday for up to 200 people buried in a landslide that flattened a village in Indonesia's Central Java province but hopes of finding survivors were fading.
Officials said 30 dead bodies have been recovered but that about 140 bodies could still be buried following Wednesday's landslide, triggered by heavy rains.
"The possibility of finding survivors is almost nil," said Mulyanto, a soldier assisting in the rescue efforts in the village of Sijeruk.
Banjarnegara district deputy chief Hadi Supeno said that an estimated 142 people were buried when the landslide struck.
More than 400 rescuers used backhoes and handtools to dig into the deep wall of mud as residents from neighbouring hamlets watched and waited for news of their relatives.
"I'm here to find my nephew. I want to know if he is alive or dead. If he is dead I will bury him in my place," said Atin, 30, who lives in a neighbouring village.
Village chief Basirun bin Sameja said there were 655 inhabitants in Sijeruk, according to a 2004 census. So far 177 people have been accounted for, but the number of people who had left the village since 2004 or were away was unknown.
Search co-ordinator Arif Sudaryanto estimated that about 160 people were still buried under the mud.
Shock
Relatives of the victims reacted with disbelief and tears.
"I took care of them since they were one-day old. How can suddenly all of them be whisked away out of my hands?" asked Suwari, whose three grandchildren were buried by the landslide.
The landslide followed flash floods which devastated villages in neighbouring East Java province. Police said on Thursday that the death toll from the floods had risen to 71.
Australia on Thursday pledged A$200 000 (about R920 000) in aid for the survivors of both disasters. The money will be channelled through the Red Cross to charter helicopters to evacuate the injured and drop emergency aid into hard-to-reach areas.
Emergency goods such as medicines, food, tents and hygiene kits will also be distributed, the government announced.
Deforestation blamed
Environmentalists blamed both disasters on massive logging as well as land conversion for farming on Java, one of the world's most densely populated islands, and called on the government to take action.
Deputy district chief Supeno agreed. "One of the causes of the disaster is deforestation carried by thieves, but we don't know who they are," he said.
He said 180 households in the landslide-hit village would be given 35 million rupiah (about R22 000) each if they were willing to relocate to safer areas.
- SAPA