2018 Sukabumi landslide

On afternoon 31 December 2018, a landslide struck a settlement in the village of Sirnaresmi in Sukabumi Regency, Indonesia, striking 30 houses and killing at least 18 people. The settlement, populated by around 100 people, was located in a landslide-prone area.

2018 Sukabumi landslide
Date31 December 2018
LocationSirnaresmi, Sukabumi Regency, Indonesia
Coordinates6.819°S 106.452°E / -6.819; 106.452
Deaths18
Non-fatal injuries3
Missing15
Property damage30 houses heavily damaged

Location
Landslide vulnerability for Sukabumi in December 2018. Sirnaresmi (circled red) is in the high-risk zone (pink).

The impacted areas were in Cigareohong kampung, Cimapag hamlet, Sirnaresmi village, Cisolok subdistrict, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. The settlement is located within the Mount Halimun Salak National Park, at the foot of a steep hill. Cisolok routinely experiences landslides, with one official remarking that landslides occurred there "every year since 2010". The already loose soil of the area was made more vulnerable by agricultural terracing and lack of strong vegetation roots.[1][2]

Sirnaresmi, which is listed as a "cultural village", has settlements spread across altitudes ranging from 300 to 600 meters above sea level with hilly terrain and high inclination.[3] The impacted area was populated by 107 people, living in 32 households.[2]

Landslide

Shortly before sunset on 31 December, around 5:30 p.m. local time,[2] the landslide struck and buried 30 houses out of 32. Eyewitness accounts noted that at the time of the landslide, there was no rain, and some reported hearing a loud booming noise.[4][5]

Following the main landslide, four smaller afterslides were recorded.[6]

Casualties

By 10 a.m. the following day, on New Years' Day, 5 dead bodies had been recovered, 3 had been confirmed injured, while 61 residents had been confirmed safe.[2] By 3 January, 18 dead had been recovered with 15 missing.[7] Some of the bodies were found buried under four meters of mud, with four additional survivors being found under the mud although one, an infant, died at hospital.[8]

Response

Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted that early search and rescue operations used manual equipment - with the hundreds of rescuers, locals, police, soldiers and volunteers, using their hands, shovels and hoes[8] - due to poor road access to the affected areas, further strained by disaster tourists.[9] Sutopo also said that across the country, 40.9 million people live in landslide-prone areas.[10] A local military district commander gave a figure of 1,066 people involved in the evacuation.[11] Evacuation procedures was briefly halted on 1 January due to inconsistent weather which was deemed too risky for SAR operations.[12]

The Social Ministry provided Rp 15 million (around USD 1000) in aid for the families of all the fatalities.[13] West Java governor Ridwan Kamil proposed to adopt two children orphaned by the landslide.[14] Head of BNPB Willem Rampangilei - which was set to retire on 2 January - was requested by President Joko Widodo to visit the site, and his replacement's swearing in was delayed.[15] The Indonesian government agreed to finance relocation of the affected victims to a less dangerous area.[16]

References
  1. Anugerah, Pijar (2 January 2019). "Longsor Sukabumi: Rawan bencana dan 'tidak layak huni' tapi sulit pindahkan warga". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  2. Widiastuti, Rina (1 January 2019). "Korban Longsor Sukabumi: 5 Tewas, 38 Orang Masih Tertimbun". Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  3. "Mengenal Kampung Adat Sirna Resmi yang Terdampak Longsor Sukabumi". Merdeka (in Indonesian). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  4. "Indonesia landslide leaves 15 dead; 20 still missing". Washington Post. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  5. Rayadie, Ahmad (1 January 2019). "Kisah Korban Longsor Sukabumi, Ada Dentuman Keras Sebelum Bencana Terjadi". Pikiran Rakyat (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  6. "Longsor Susulan Terjadi 4 Kali Pasca-longsor Pertama yang Tewaskan 15 Orang di Sukabumi". KOMPAS (in Indonesian). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  7. "UPDATE: Total Korban Longsor di Sukabumi yang Ditemukan Jadi 18 Orang". KOMPAS (in Indonesian). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  8. "Search for survivors continues after Indonesian landslide kills at least 15". Radio New Zealand. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  9. "5 Korban Tewas Longsor Sukabumi Ditemukan, 38 Masih Dicari". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  10. "BNPB: 40.9 Million People Live in Areas Prone to Landslide". Tempo. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  11. "Sukabumi Landslide Victims Involves One Thousand People". Surabaya Pagi. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  12. Arjanto, Dwi (2 January 2019). "Penyebab Evakuasi Korban Longsor Sukabumi Dihentikan Sementara". Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  13. "Mensos Beri Santunan Rp 195 Juta untuk 13 Korban Tewas Longsor Sukabumi". Merdeka (in Indonesian). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  14. "Ridwan Kamil Angkat Kakak Beradik Korban Longsor Sukabumi Jadi Anak Asuh". KOMPAS (in Indonesian). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  15. "Jokowi Minta Kepala BNPB ke Longsor Sukabumi Sebelum Diganti". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). 2 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  16. "Pemerintah Biayai Relokasi 29 KK Korban Longsor Sukabumi". Kabar24 (in Indonesian). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
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