Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita, December 1, 2013
A long-exposure image of Mt. Sinabung at night on Nov. 28. (EPA Photo) |
Torrential
rain in Berastagi around Mt. Sinabung led to tragedy on Saturday after the
buildup of surface water triggered a landslide that killed nine people as
authorities continued to patrol villages around the North Sumatra volcano over
the weekend.
“Nine
people were found dead,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of National Disaster
Mitigation Agency told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. “Two were found in
Gundaling I village, six people were found in Gundaling II village, while one
person was found in Simpang Ujungaji village.”
Rainfall in
the hills around Berastagi began on Saturday afternoon and continued into the
evening. The first land slip occurred at around 7 p.m. in Gundaling village and
Laununggap.
Leni
Wulandari, 22, and her two-year-old son were found dead by first responders in
their house, which had been buried by the land slip. It is understood that
Leni’s husband was working in Malaysia at the time and was not at home.
In
Gundaling II village, authorities identified the victims as Maruli Sijabat, 65;
Siti Boru Nababan, 60; Marolop, 20; Litna Boru Silaban, 25; Bela Kasih Boru
Manik, 4 and Junaidi Donggol Manik, 2.
The body of
Rosalina Siboru, 10, who was a resident of Laununggap villager, was recovered
in Simpang Ujungaji.
Sutopo
urged everyone living in landslide-prone areas to be especially vigilant over
the coming months as the rainy season increases the risk of destabilizing soil
layers. Earthquakes and heavy rain are common causes of deadly landslides in
the country.
“People who
live in landslide-prone areas like in the hills, mountain slopes and river
banks are urged to be alert. Generally landslides happen during heavy rain or
after an earthquake,” he said.
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