57 Victims of the West Bandung Landslide Identified, 6 People Still Being Searched for

JAKARTA - The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team has managed to identify 57 bodies of victims of a landslide in West Bandung Regency, West Java. All of the bodies that have been identified have been handed over to their respective families.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said that as of Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 16.00 WIB, the joint SAR team had evacuated 74 bags of bodies for identification. Of these, 17 bags of bodies are still in the data matching stage.

"The DVI team has identified 57 bodies and all of them have been handed over to their families," said Abdul Muhari in his statement, Monday, February 2.

The search and rescue operation was resumed on Monday, February 2, 2026, starting at 08.00 WIB. The joint SAR team expanded the search area by adding heavy equipment to find the six people who are still missing.

"At least 18 units of heavy equipment were deployed in the search operation," he said.

Medan which is covered with soil and rock material makes heavy equipment one of the main focuses in accelerating evacuation.

According to him, the weather at the disaster site is still marked by rain with light to moderate intensity. This condition is a challenge for the team in the field because it has the potential to trigger a follow-up landslide and slow down the search process.

"However, this condition does not lower the spirit of the combined SAR personnel, which currently numbers around 3,229 people," he said.

On the side of refugees, the situation is gradually improving. Based on initial data and the latest updates, as many as 517 refugees have returned to their respective homes. Meanwhile, there are still 159 people from 49 families who are staying in the refugee location.

To meet the basic needs of refugees, BNPB has distributed a number of logistical assistance. The assistance includes 200 food packages, 200 ready-to-eat food packages, 200 mattresses, 50 hygiene kits, two portable toilets, one generator unit, one alkon pump unit, and 100 blankets.