Jakarta: The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that 18 people died in a landslide in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, on Saturday and 77 residents who survived had been evacuated by a search and rescue (SAR) team.
BNPB Head of Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, Abdul Muhari, said on Monday that the survivors have been evacuated to emergency posts set up in the yard of a local church.
“Posts and public kitchens have also been established to meet the needs of affected residents and evacuation teams,” he said.
The latest data, as of Sunday night, confirmed 18 resident fatalities.
The victims were residents of Lembang Randan Batu village in South Makale and Manggau village in Makale.
“Until now, the SAR team is still searching for two residents who were reported missing,” Muhari said, adding that at least seven houses were damaged in the landslide.
The piles of landslide materials in the form of soil and rocks also blocked road access to the Makale area, so the SAR team had to walk to reach the incident location.
Despite encountering a number of obstacles, the team will do its best to handle the impact of the disaster in Tana Toraja, he assured.
In Manggau village, 14 dead victims were evacuated to Lakipadada Hospital; two residents are in critical condition, while two residents are still missing. In Lembang Randan Batu village, there were four fatalities.
