SAR Team Assures Viral Video in Cisarua is Not a Result of Landslide

BANDUNG - The joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team confirmed that the viral video showing the alleged movement of the ground in the Pasirlangu area, Cisarua District, West Bandung Regency was not a new landslide or land movement.

Head of the Bandung SAR Office Ade Dian said the condition in the video was caused by the ground being saturated with water after being hit by heavy rain in recent days.

"From the results of the safety and geological assessment team, no significant land movement has been found so far, but the potential for shifting is still being watched," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, January 29.

He explained that the location of the search for the Pasirlangu landslide victim was in an area with a very unstable soil structure because rainwater that seeped into the soil layer caused visual changes on the surface, but did not fall into the category of geological soil movement.

"This is not a land movement, but a condition of the soil that is saturated with water so that it looks like it is moving," he said.

Ade emphasized that the safety of SAR personnel remained the top priority during the search operation, so his party continued to coordinate with related agencies, including the safety and geology team, to monitor the field conditions periodically.

Regarding equipment support, Ade said that as many as 17 units of heavy equipment had been lowered to the landslide location with use still focused on sectors A1 and A2, and began to be expanded to sector A3 to support the process of searching for victims.

He added that the search operation would enter its seventh day on Friday (30/1), so that the SAR Team would evaluate to determine whether the SAR operation would be extended, as well as determine which sector would be the focus of the search.

"Tomorrow is the seventh day. We will evaluate to determine whether the SAR operation will be extended, as well as which sectors will be the focus of the search," he said.