Landslide In Mamasa Sulbar Occurs In 21 Points, 2 Residents Killed, 6 Villages Isolated

The landslide that hit Mamasa City, West Sulawesi, was cleaned by the district government using heavy equipment on Friday, July 1. (Antara-M Faisal)

SULBAR - The landslide disaster in Mamasa Regency, West Sulawesi (Sulbar) caused the death of two residents and six villages were isolated.

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Mamasa Regency reported that two lifeless residents were found on Thursday, June 30.

"A quick temporary review, apart from the death toll, one person was seriously injured and two people were slightly injured," said the acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, Friday, July 1.

This incident occurred at around 17:20 WITA after heavy rains flushed the surrounding area and the condition of the soil structure was unstable.

This incident caused six villages to be isolated due to landslides due to road access, namely Gandangdewata Village, Peu Village, Saluleang Village, Tabuhanan Village, Periangan Village, and Salubakka Village.

The affected location is far from the city center and road access to the location is covered by landslide material which is an obstacle in handling the emergency. Access to telecommunications networks is also disrupted making it difficult for coordination and communication.

"Meanwhile, we are contacting locations that are isolated and do not have a cellphone communication network," said the Head of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the Mamasa BPBD, Pasamboan Pangloli.

The deployment of heavy equipment was also deployed to clean up landslide materials and to open roads to isolated villages. Efforts to fulfill basic needs for residents are also being carried out, such as distributing basic food assistance.

Based on Antara's report, BPBD together with a joint team are continuously trying to carry out emergency handling in affected locations to find out the possibility of other fatalities. Data collection and monitoring are also carried out by officers to obtain the latest information from the field.

BMKG estimates that tomorrow, Saturday, July 2, the potential for rain will still occur in the Mamasa area during the day and night.

Referring to this information, BNPB appealed to all components of regional policy makers and communities to anticipate potential follow-up disasters that could be triggered by weather factors.

Strengthening the dissemination of information through whatsapp groups and local radio networks can also be done to provide early warning information to the public so that they can prepare for independent evacuation efforts.

In addition, if there is heavy rain with a duration of more than one hour, people living near cliffs or areas prone to landslides should carry out self-evacuation until 1-2 hours after the rain stops.