West Bandung Landslide Tragedy: 25 Victims Found, Dozens Missing

JAKARTA - The search and rescue operation for victims of landslides in Pasir Langu Village, West Bandung Regency, West Java, continues until Sunday, January 25. Until 16.15 WIB, the joint SAR team managed to find 14 bags of bodies, bringing the total number of victims evacuated to 25 bags. All bodies have been handed over to the National Police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team for identification.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said that the number of deaths recorded until noon reached nine people.

"Five victims have been successfully identified and handed over to their families for burial, while the other four are still in the process of identification," Abdul said in his statement, Sunday, January 25.

In addition to the victims who died, Abdul Muhari added that 23 residents were reported to be safe, while 81 people were still missing. "The number of victims will continue to move as the victims are found and identified by the DVI team," he said.

The search process on Sunday was hampered when the team in the A1 worksite area stopped operations temporarily at around 10.41 WIB because an additional landslide was observed. The search was then resumed at 11.10 WIB after observations using UAV drones confirmed that the landslide crown was safe.

The SAR cluster, led by Basarnas, together with the TNI, Polri, BNPB, and BPBD, deployed more than 250 personnel. They used a combination of heavy equipment, manual searches, and drone assistance to speed up the evacuation process. Abdul Muhari emphasized that the terrain and weather conditions were the main challenges for the team.

"Based on technical considerations in the field, the search was temporarily stopped and will continue tomorrow, Monday, January 26," he said.

The landslide that occurred in the early morning also buried more than 30 houses of residents. A total of 232 residents around the location were evacuated to evacuation centers at the GOR and the Village Hall. The local government together with cross-agencies continues to conduct data collection and monitoring at the affected locations.

In addition to searching for victims, Abdul Muhari emphasized the government's attention to protection and services for refugees.

"In handling this disaster, the government has deployed five main clusters that work in a coordinated manner in the field, namely the SAR, health, logistics, protection and evacuation, and recovery clusters," he said.

SAR operations will continue until all victims are found, while prioritizing the safety of officers in the field.