Fallen Tree, Peak-Cianjur Main Route Cuts

CIANJUR - The main road of Puncak-Cianjur, West Java, was cut off due to a medium-sized tree falling on Jalan Raya Panembong, Cianjur District, Cianjur Regency, Monday, January 17. There were no casualties but the line of vehicles from both directions stretched for dozens of kilometers along the route.

Quoted by Antara, the Secretary of the Cianjur Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) said heavy rains accompanied by strong winds caused a medium-sized tree of the Rasamala species to fall, blocking the entire body of the road, so that access to Puncak-Cipanas or vice versa to Cianjur was temporarily cut off.

"We immediately coordinated with the relevant agencies and the police to take action quickly because it is the main route between cities. To evacuate the tree, we used a chainsaw and a dam truck," he said.

He appealed to road users crossing the main Cianjur route from the north to the south to be extra careful and alert, especially during heavy rains and not to park their vehicles under trees that are prone to falling.

"We also urge road users to the southern region to always be vigilant because most of the southern route is prone to landslides. Meanwhile, in the northern and eastern areas there are still many large, old trees that are prone to falling," he said.

Meanwhile, according to local residents, Adi (32), this incident happened for the second time in the last two weeks, when a tree fell on the route. Previously, a large fallen tree had even blocked the main road a few meters from the new location.

"This is the second time a tree has fallen, but the latest one is rather medium in size, after heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. There were no casualties, however, long lines of vehicles could be seen from both directions, officers immediately cleared the fallen tree," said Adi.