Bantargebang Garbage Mountain Landslide, Death Toll Rises to 6 and One is Being Searched for

BEKASI - The number of people who died due to a landslide of garbage piles in Zone 4 of the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Center (TPST), Bekasi City, West Java, increased to six people. Another victim is still being searched by the joint SAR team.

Head of the Jakarta SAR Office Desiana Kartika Bahari said the search for the victim was still being carried out because it was suspected that there were still people buried at the location.

As the evacuation process took place, the number of deaths continued to increase. On Monday afternoon, the joint SAR team again found two victims.

"At 12.05 WIB, one victim was found dead and immediately taken to the Kramat Jati Polri Hospital for identification. At 17.50 WIB, the joint SAR team again found a dead victim on the side of the river piled with garbage," said Desiana in his statement, quoted Tuesday, March 10.

Previously, four people were found dead. With the discovery of 2 victims, the total number of deaths to date is six people, namely Enda Widayanti (25), Sumine (60), Dedi Sutrisno, Irwan Supriatin, Jussova Situmorang, and Hardianto.

In addition, one person named Riki is reported to be still being searched. Meanwhile, six other people were reported to be safe, namely Budiman, Johan, Safifudin, Slamet, Ato, and Dofir.

The joint SAR team is still continuing the search by opening access to the garbage pile using heavy equipment such as excavators. The sifting process is also assisted by tracking dogs (K9) to detect the whereabouts of the victim.

"The search is also carried out using thermal drones to search through the air by detecting body heat," said Desiana.

Until now, the search process is still ongoing, while the number of victims is still being recorded based on witness statements and reports from families who have lost their family members.

It is known that the landslide of the garbage pile in Zone 4 of the Bantargebang TPST, Bekasi City, West Java, occurred on Sunday, March 8 at around 14.30 WIB.

DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung explained that the landslide occurred in Zone 4A and was allegedly triggered by extreme rain that flooded the area. The landslide material blocked the operational road and the flow of the Ciketing River along about 40 meters.

After the incident, the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service (DLH) immediately activated emergency response operations. This step was taken to ensure the safety of officers, handle victims, and stabilize the affected area so that waste management services could resume.

The handling process is carried out by a joint team across agencies. The operation involves Basarnas, Polda Metro Jaya, TNI, BPBD DKI Jakarta and Bekasi City, the Fire and Rescue Service, and local area officers.

In the evacuation process, the team used 19 excavators and seven ambulances. As a mitigation measure, services in Zone 4A were temporarily closed.

"The delivery of waste to the Bantargebang TPST is minimized, diverted to Zone 3, and two new points are prepared while being refined," said Pramono.