On The Orders Of The Commander In Chief, The TNI Deploys A Battalion Of Combat Engineers To Heavy Equipment To Assist BNPB In Combing Victims Of The Mount Semeru Eruption

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JAKARTA - The TNI added heavy equipment at the eruption site of Mount Semeru, Lumajang, East Java, to assist the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in combing and evacuating victims.

The additional heavy equipment, which is currently available in a number of locations affected by the eruption, is a follow-up to the order of the TNI Commander General TNI Andika Perkasa on Sunday, December 5.

"Several aids were sent back by the TNI to help victims of the eruption of Mount Semeru, namely personnel and heavy equipment from the Combat Engineer Battalion/10 (Yonzipur) stationed at SDN Sumber Wuluh and Polsek Candipuro," said Head of the TNI Information Center Major General TNI Prantara Santosa via written statement quoted by Antara, Monday, December 6.

Besides Yonzipur/10, soldiers and heavy equipment from Yonzipur/5 were also stationed in Supit Urang Village.

"The heavy equipment in question includes 4 units of backhoe loaders, 2 units of self loaders, 1 unit of dozer, 2 units of bulldozers, 8 units of excavators, 8 units of dump trucks, 1 unit of crane, 1 unit of transporter, 1 unit of cargo crane, 2 units of cavalry trailers, and 1 unit of civilian trailers," said Prantara.

The Indonesian Air Force once again deployed dozens of special forces soldiers to disaster-affected locations, Monday, December 6.

The dozens of soldiers consisted of the Matra 2/Naga Pasa Detachment and the 464th Command Battalion/Nanggala Special Forces Corps of the Indonesian Air Force.

The special forces came with health workers, facility and agency officers, communication centers, and officers from the Air Traffic Control from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base, Malang.

The troops are part of a task force that is tasked with other TNI troops, the National Police, and other institutions, combing through victims of the eruption of Mount Semeru.

The joint task force troops moved from locations that were severely affected by the eruption, namely in Sumber Wuluh Village, Candipuro District, Lumajang.

There were four locations in Sumber Wuluh that became the focus of the sweep, namely at Jembatan Merah, Curah Kobokan Village, Perak Village, and Bundali Village.

Not only assisting with sweeping, the Indonesian Air Force also provides health check services to residents affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru.

"The health assistance provided is in the form of general examinations and the provision of drugs to vulnerable residents," explained the Information Service of the Indonesian Air Force.

Mount Semeru, which reaches a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl), erupts accompanied by hot clouds and rain of volcanic ash, Saturday, December 4.

As a result of the eruption, more than 50 residents were burned, dozens died, thousands of houses were damaged, and dozens of electrical installations were disrupted.